1 John 2:17

1 John 2:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
• New International Version (NIV)The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Context of 1 John 2:17

15Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16For 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. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 18Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

1 John 2:17 word by word

καὶ ὁ κόσμος παράγεται καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the worldὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• passeth awayπαράγωparagō · to passG3855
• the lustἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
• thereofαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• butδέde · thenG1161
• he that doethποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• the willθέλημαthelēma · will/desireG2307
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• abidethμένωmenō · to stayG3306
• forεἰςeis · towardG1519
• everαἰώνaiōn · an age: eternityG165

Cross-references for 1 John 2:17

• Psalms 39:6We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.
• Psalms 73:18Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
• Psalms 90:9We live our lives beneath your wrath, ending our years with a groan.
• Psalms 102:26They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them.
• Isaiah 40:6A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field.
• Matthew 24:35Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
• 1 Corinthians 7:31Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.
• James 1:10And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.
• James 4:14How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
• 1 Peter 1:24As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.
• Psalms 143:10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
• Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
• Matthew 21:31“Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
• Mark 3:35Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
• John 7:17Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.
• Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Commentaries on 1 John 2:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17The world passeth away - All these things are continually fading and perishing; and the very state in which they are possessed is changing perpetually, and the earth and its works will be shortly burnt up. And the lust thereof - The men of this world, their vain pursuits, and delusive pleasures, are passing away in their successive generations, and their very memory perishes; but he that doeth the will of God - that seeks the pleasure, profit, and honor…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17And the world passeth away - Everything properly constituting this world where religion is excluded. The reference here does not seem to be so much to the material world, as to the scenes of show and vanity which make up the world. These things are passing away like the shifting scenes of the stage. See the notes at 1 Corinthians 7:31. And the lust thereof - All that is here so much the object of desire. These things are like a pageant, which only amuses…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-17Verses 15-17 The things of the world may be desired and possessed for the uses and purposes which God intended, and they are to be used by his grace, and to his glory; but believers must not seek or value them for those purposes to which sin abuses them. The world draws the heart from God; and the more the love of the world prevails, the more the love of God decays. The things of the world are classed according to the three ruling inclinations of depraved…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17The world is a morally evil system that is under the influence of Satan and is opposed to God and to Christ’s kingdom on this earth (2:16; 3:1; 4:4; 5:19; John 12:31; 15:18; Ephesians 6:11–12; James 4:4). The world appeals to people’s fleshly desires and turns them away from God. People who belong to the world in this way need God to rescue them from it.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. the world--with all who are of the world worldly. passeth away--Greek, "is passing away" even now. the lust thereof--in its threefold manifestation (1Jo 2:16). he that doeth the will of God--not his own fleshly will, or the will of the world, but that of God (1Jo 2:3, 6), especially in respect to love. abideth for ever--"even as God also abideth for ever" (with whom the godly is one; compare Psa 55:19, "God, even He that abideth of old): a true…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 2:17

• Covetousness
• Immortality
• Lust
• Obedience
• Righteous
• Worldliness
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• will of God
• Acknowledge
• Advocate
• Lie
• Stumble
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Holy Spirit
• Johannine Theology

Commentaries on 1 John 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings