Chapter
1 2 3 4 5
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

1 John 2:16
ESV For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life — is not from the Father but is from the world.
NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
NASB For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
CSB For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
NLT For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
KJV For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
NKJV 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.

What does 1 John 2:16 mean?

John here describes what he means by "the world," identifying two "desires" and a form of pride.

First are desires—or lusts—of "the flesh," referring to what the body desires. This generally means anything craved excessively or inappropriately, from food to sexual impurity. In this context, it's not about normal or necessary physical desires. Second are desires of "the eyes," again a general term. In this case, it not only refers to those things we literally see, but those we imagine or put our "mental" eyes on. Third is the "pride of life," meaning sinful desires which bring attention to self. This also refers to our habit of bragging about ourselves. Jesus called boastful pride a sin (Mark 7:22), and endured similar temptations from the Devil (Matthew 4:1–11).

These desires and pride are not given to us by God—they are temptations from the godless world. This is why a person marked by love for the world (1 John 2:15) does not have the love of God in him. In verse 17, John will make the larger point that though these shallow desires pass away, the will of God—and those who do it—will live forever.
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