What is the meaning of 1 John 2:17?

The world is passing away

John reminds us that what we see and touch is temporary. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Peter echoed the same certainty: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire” (2 Peter 3:10-11). Even creation itself “will perish, but You remain” (Hebrews 1:11-12).

• Every achievement, possession, and cultural trend has an expiration date.

• Life is “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14).

Because God’s Word is literally true, we can count on this world’s eventual dissolution and should hold its goods loosely.

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along with its desires;

Not only is the physical order fading, but so are its cravings—the very impulses that once felt irresistible. John previously listed them as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

• These desires promise satisfaction yet leave us empty (Jeremiah 2:13).

• They wage war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11) and keep people enslaved (Titus 3:3).

• Christ sets us free so we can “crucify the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24).

When the cosmos collapses, its sinful appetites will collapse with it. Investing in them is investing in a soon-to-be-demolished house.

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but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

A sharp contrast: fleeting world versus enduring believer. Jesus promised, “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life” (John 6:40). That life is active obedience—“the one who does the will of My Father” (Matthew 7:21).

• Obedience is evidence of genuine faith (1 John 2:3-5).

• The believer “has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24) and “will never see death” (John 8:51).

• Rooted in Christ, we become like a tree planted by streams of water, “whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3).

Doing God’s will is not drudgery; it is embracing the only path that outlasts time itself.

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summary

Everything outside God’s kingdom is on a countdown clock. The material world and its sinful attractions are slipping away, but those who trust Christ and walk in His will have a life that cannot be shaken or terminated. Choose the lasting over the passing, and your future is as secure as God’s eternal Word.