1 John 2:14

All who believe in the *Lord Jesus become the children of God. God is their father and they have come to know him. The young children need to grow up to be mature. But they do have a real relationship with God.

The fathers have known Jesus who was before all things. They need to continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ.

The young people are strong in the fight against evil things. They need courage and strength in the struggle. They are strong because the word of God is in them. They know what God has said. And they obey him. They know the *scriptures. They use the *scriptures as they fight the devil. By the word of God, they win the battle.

Verse 15

Do not love evil things

Here, the *world does not mean the earth that God made. He made the earth to be good and beautiful. Here, the *world does not mean the people in the world. God loves all those people who live in the world. ‘The *world’ here means all that opposes God. It is all that the devil controls. This includes many things that the people in the world do.

Christians are in the world. But they do not belong to the *world. They have moved from that *world. Their home is with God. Their home is no longer in this *world. So, Christians are different from those who do not know God.

The false teachers taught that there need not be that difference. But the aim of the Christians must be to please God. They have to turn away from all that opposes God. It is not possible to love both God and the *world. Some Christians still desired the things of the *world. John taught that this is wrong.

Love of the *world is a selfish desire for what the *world offers. This is a bad attitude. It values the *world higher than love for God. Those who love the *world see their security in the *world. They depend on their possessions. They do not depend on God alone.

If anyone loves the *world, he does not love the *Father. That person has refused the love of God. Love for the *world works against the *Father’s love. It drives God’s love from that person. We cannot love the *world and the *Father at the same time.

Verse 16

Wrong attitudes cause us to *sin

The things of the *world come from the *world. The devil has control over these things. They may seem to be good but they do not come from God. John gives three examples of these things. It is not so much the things that are bad. The problem is a person’s attitudes to these things.

• There are desires that come from the *flesh. These are from the human nature. Desires need not always be bad. But here John means those things that would cause one to *sin. The desire of the *flesh is all wrong desire. That which is not good appears to be very attractive. The person wants to have the things which would satisfy the *flesh. This opposes what God wants for his people.

• Then there is the desire of the eyes. What people see can often cause wrong desires to rise in them. They want to have what they see. This is often wrong and leads to *sin. The desire of the *flesh can be internal to the person. But the desire of the eyes is from outside the person.

• The pride of life has its purpose as life itself. People become proud because of many things. They might be proud because of their strength or health. They might be proud because of their rank or skill. They might be proud because of their power, wealth or possessions. This attitude is *sin. All life depends on God. There can be no reason to be proud.

Verse 17

Things which are of God will never end

We should not love the *world, because it will end. That end has already begun. One day that end will be complete. The world will be no more. The *world and its desires are not permanent. All that the people try to get for themselves will vanish.

In contrast, the things that are of God will never end. The *world will end. But those people who obey God will continue to live. They will never die but they will always live with God. For them *eternal life has begun now. In the future, they will enjoy a complete life with God.

John warns about false *Christs (1 John 2:18-29)

v18 *Children, this is the last time. You have heard that the false *Christ is coming. Even now many false *Christs have come. From this we know that it is the last time. v19 They went out from us. But they were not really united with us. If they had been, they would have remained with us. None of them really belonged with us. We know this because they left us.

v20 But you have received from God the gift of his *Holy Spirit, and you all know the truth. v21 I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth. I write because you do know it. You know that nothing false comes from the truth. v22 Who is it that speaks lies? The person who says that Jesus is not the *Christ. That person is the false *Christ. He denies both the *Father and the Son. v23 All those who deny the Son do not have the *Father. All who accept the Son have the *Father also.

v24 What you heard from the start, let it remain in you. If it remains in you, you also will remain in the Son. And you will remain in the *Father. v25 God has promised to give us *eternal life.

v26 I have written these things to you about those people. They are trying to lead you away from the truth. v27 But you received from God the gift of his Spirit. That gift remains in you. So you do not need anyone else to teach you. You know what is true. God’s Spirit in you shows you all things. God’s Spirit is true. God’s Spirit never teaches what is false. As God’s Spirit has taught you, remain in him.

v28 Now, *children, continue to live in him. Then, when he appears we will have confidence. When he comes, we will not turn from him. We will not be ashamed.

v29 You know that he is *righteous. You know this as well. All those people who do the right things are born of him.