Read & explore together
Do Not Love the World
These verses give a clear warning about what people should and should not love. The passage contrasts the world with the Father, names three kinds of worldly desire, and shows why doing God’s will matters most.
Understanding the passage
The setting of these words
These three verses speak in direct teaching about love, desire, the Father, and what lasts. They warn against loving the world, explain what belongs to the world, and contrast what is passing away with the person who does God’s will.
1 John 2:15–17Main takeaway
This passage teaches that love for the world and its desires does not belong to the Father, and that doing God’s will is the lasting path.
Follow the letter’s teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01A warning about misplaced loveThe passage begins with a command: “Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world.”
Explanation
The passage begins with a command: “Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world.” It then gives a serious contrast. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in him. The verse presses readers to think carefully about where their love is directed.
02What belongs to the worldThe next verse explains what is meant by “all that is in the world”. It lists “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”.
Explanation
The next verse explains what is meant by “all that is in the world”. It lists “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”. These phrases point to desires and self-exalting attitudes that are identified as belonging to the world.
03A different sourceThe passage makes the contrast even sharper by saying these things “isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s”.
Explanation
The passage makes the contrast even sharper by saying these things “isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s”. This helps readers distinguish sources. The desires and pride listed here are not presented as coming from the Father, even if they may seem attractive or powerful.
04What lasts and what passes awayThe final verse explains why this matters. “The world is passing away with its lusts,” so it is not lasting or secure.
Explanation
The final verse explains why this matters. “The world is passing away with its lusts,” so it is not lasting or secure. By contrast, “he who does God’s will remains forever.” The passage ends by turning attention from fading desires to the enduring importance of doing God’s will.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01According to verse 15, what two loves are set against each other?
Look at the command about loving the world and the statement about the Father’s love not being in someone.
02What three examples are named as being “in the world”?
Use the exact phrases listed in the verse and notice that they describe desire and pride.
03What different futures are given for the world and for the person who does God’s will?
Compare the words “passing away” and “remains forever” in the final verse.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
1 John 2:15–17
15Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him.
16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s.
17The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.