1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

That the Apostle passes at once to a warning against love of the world, after mentioning the Evil One, is suggestive of his power in and over the world. “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). He therefore uses this system of humanity, in its alienation from God as a means of enticing the believer from his attachment to Christ. … What the believer is not to love is the world as viewed in its antagonism to what is of God. … To love the world, which lies [under the sway of] the Evil One and yet to overcome the Evil One himself is impossible.— Vine, page 33.

Do not love (v.15) — present tense

This (v.15) is not the world of humanity for that would contradict John 3:16. This is the evil world system headed up by the prince of this world, the Devil. We are warned that this evil system tries to force believers into its mold. But conformity to it is a form of adultery toward God (Romans 12:2; Galatians 1:4; James 4:4). It does not condemn amusements of wholesome entertainment but anything that robs Christ of His due worship, service, and devotion. God calls His children to be separate from the world (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) and wholly dedicated to do His will. — Grace, page 2219.

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By “the things in the world” (v.15) is meant, not material objects, though these themselves may be the means of allurement, but rather those evil elements in it as a system of humanity in its opposition to God and His Christ, and its rejection of His claims. — Vine, pages 33-34.

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The primary significance [in “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”] is not that such a person does not love the Father, but that the love of the Father is not the controlling principle of His life. The love of the Father is that which, being in the believer, produces in him a responding love, a devoted recognition of His grace and His claims. — Vine, page 34.

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the lust of the flesh (v.16) — [temptation from within] signifies a strong desire. The flesh stands for the carnal nature of fallen man, which uses the body as its instrument. “The flesh” is thus “the seat of sin in man.” “The lust of the flesh” stands, therefore, for the temptation which proceeds from our corrupt nature, a nature which, owing to sin, stands opposed to the will and commandments of God. — Vine, page 34.

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the lust of the eyes (v.16) — temptation from without. The eyes are the chief means of communication between external things and the flesh. The lust of the eyes, then, is a special form of physical gratification. — Vine, page 34.

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the pride of life (v.16) — The word rendered “vainglory” [pride] is used elsewhere in the New Testament only in James 4:16, and there in the plural, “vauntings.” It signifies either empty display, or haughty reliance on one’s own resources. The pride of life is that ostentatious pride which characterizes the present life of the world in its alienation from God. — Vine, page 35. 

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not of the Father (v.16) — These things do not spring from the Father nor have they any connection with Him, but find their source in the world, and its spiritual ruler. The three evils mentioned were the elements in Satan’s temptation of both Eve (Genesis 3) and of our Lord (Luke 4). — Vine, page 35.

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passing away (v.17) — Note that “passeth away” is the same word used of the darkness in 1 John 2:8, and that “world” is the same in meaning as darkness. — KJV Commentary, page 1757.

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does (v.17) — Doing the will of God and not merely talking about it is a characteristic of the person who enters the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). This is consistent with the Gospel of the Kingdom, which requires works as the necessary evidence of faith (James 2:19-26). — Grace, page 2220.

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It is difficult to overestimate the importance of abiding in John’s writings. … Although the word “abide” may not imply eternal live in itself, there are numerous accompanying terms showing that abiding in Christ was the necessary condition and evidence of kingdom believers being born of God and having eternal life. … There were commands for them to abide in Christ, abide in the light, abide in His love, abide in the doctrine of Christ, etc. the genuine kingdom believer would do so because he was born of God [and because the Law of God will be written on their hearts (Hebrews 8:10)]. … In today’s Dispensation of Grace, believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and eternally secure at the moment of trusting in Christ alone for eternal life (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Romans 8:31-39). However, for those who believed the Gospel of the Kingdom and have the promise of eternal life on earth, abiding in Christ was absolutely necessary in the salvation equation. This will be true also in the coming Tribulation when the Gospel of the Kingdom is once again preached in all the world for a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14). Members of the present-day Body of Christ will then be in Heaven by means of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). — Grace, page 2220.