1 John 2:15-17
The following are some exegetical and semantic analysis notes for this paragraph.
I. How many sentences are in the text?
3 in UBS Greek Text: 4 in KJV, NASB, NIV:
S1 = 15a S1 = 15a
S2 = 15b – 16 S2 = 15b
S3 = 17 S3 = 16
S4 = 17
II. Identify Main vs. Subordinate clauses:
S1 (15a) Main Clause – “do not love” – Pres. Imperative followed by compound Direct Object
S2 (15b-16) Conditional Clause introduced by “if anyone loves” – Pres. Act. Subjunctive 3rd sing.
“the love of the Father” – genitive phrase translated ambiguously as “the love of the Father” by KJV, NASB, NIV.
Key question: what kind of genitive is it, subjective or objective?
Verse 16 introduced by “for” – subordinate conjunction, usually translated as “for”
“all that is in the world” – followed by 3 coordinate genitive phrases in apposition to it. The entire phrase is the subject of the verb “is” followed by the compliment “from the Father” and the adversative coordinating conjunction “but” linking the other half of the predicate compliment “from the world” (both genitive phrases signifying source)
S3 (17) The first “and” of v. 17 introduces a new sentence (note the period in the Greek text at end of v. 16).
Compound subject with “is passing away” – Pres. Middle/Passive
Indicative 3rd sing, which is followed by the coordinating conj. “and.”
“he who does” – Pres. Act. Participle Nominative Masculine Singular – followed by direct object “the will of God.” The entire clause is the subject of the verb “remains.”
III. What is the main thought of the paragraph? “Do not love” is first overt imperative in the epistle and the only overt imperative in the paragraph. Thus it is the theme of the paragraph.
IV. How do the sentences relate to one another? What is their semantic structure?
S1 – EXHORTATION
S2 – grounds1 for v. 15a – (impossible to love God and the world
simultaneously)
The “for” clause in 16 gives the grounds or reason for 15b
S3 – grounds2 for v. 15a – (impermanence of the world/
permanence of those who do God’s will)
V. Construct a Block Diagram of the passage:
LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS IN THE WORLD.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him;
because all that is in the world:
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life
is not from the Father,
but
is from the world.
And the world is passing away with the lust of it
but
he who does the will of God abides forever.
The sermon structure of this passage will contain one main point and two sub points:
I. Don’t love the world
A. It is impossible to love God and the world simultaneously.
B. The impermanence of the world is the reason we should not love it.