Verse 16 breaks down the dangers of Satan’s world system into three segments. In my study I ran across one man’s description of those three dangers. He said that “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” are “the world’s ANTI-TRINITY.” I’m not sure what he wrote is really appropriate, but I considered it for my title. I eventually chose a different title.
These three things are avenues or bridges between the world and the heart. And remember we are talking about Christian hearts, not strictly those who are denizens of the world. Furthermore, John is writing to “little children,” adolescents, “strong young men,” and mature “fathers.” Even though each spiritual age group may be more susceptible to their own specific worldly temptations, those temptations are not confined to any one group over an another.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” “For all that is in the world… is not of the Father.” Our heavenly Father is eternal, as well as holy, but the Satanically dominated world is temporal and evil. And if you’ll remember, the Lord Jesus dealt with this difference in His parable of the prodigal son, who chose “all that was in the world,” over his father. That almost ended in total disaster.
Before getting to my outline, let’s bring several things to mind: First, the word “lust” is given a more restricted meaning today than John gave it in his day. Now, it is most often associated with sexual immorality. But to John it was simply an intense craving or desire for something – and it could be anything. The word could have been applied to Achan in Jericho as much as David looking off his roof top. A second consideration could involve a debate about whether sin might reside outside these three areas. Is there sin beyond the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life? The experts may argue the point. Is unbelief something which comes from these three? I don’t think so. But I’ll just say that these three things pretty well sum up the bulk of our temptations. The third thing is that these lusts don’t actually reside in the world; they reside IN the Christian. The world doesn’t have a lust for our flesh, and it is not proud that the Christian is cooperating with it. These three things are in the Christian, not in the world. But – I used the word “bridge” a moment ago. These are part of the world in the way that an international bridge reaches from one country to another. We could say that every community, every heart, has three bridges reaching across the Rio Grand. Who owns those bridges between Mexico and the United States? I don’t know, but I’d say that both countries share the ownership and maintenance responsibilities. And since there is a vast quantity of contraband coming this way, I’ll say they belong to “the world.”
WHAT are these THREE BRIDGES between the Christian heart and the world?
The first is “the lust of the flesh.” To be clear, it is the lust OF the flesh, not necessarily speaking of the lust FOR the flesh. A good definition should include the DIFFERENCE between the flesh and the spirit. Paul told the Galatians in 5:16: “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other…” The flesh wants to go where the Spirit-governed-human-spirit would prefer – or perhaps would never – go. I’ll try to describe some examples in a few minutes.
The second bridge between the Christian and the world is “the lust of the eyes.” These eyes are often physical, but they can be eyes of a different kind as well. They might be the eyes of a curious heart, becoming over time the eyes of covetousness. The people on the world’s side of the bridge dress differently, speak a different language, eat different food. There could be an innocent interest in that different culture, which has no intrinsic sin in it. But the more those eyes stare, the more lust there might be for those things on the other side of the border “Love not the world.”
“The pride of life” is perhaps the result of satisfying the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. Some people look at it as fleshly ambition. Others see it as what happens when that ambition is fulfilled. It might be living the ostentatious life-style that the fleshly ambition lusted after. Christ Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees often lived across the bridge in the land of the pride of life. Matthew 23: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat… all their works they do for to be seen of men; they make broad their phylacteris, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues… Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…” The pride of life is seen in showing off. It is a lust for, and display of, luxury. It is seen in arrogant assumptions about one’s self and about others.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world… The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life…” For all that is in the world… is not of the Father.”
Because we belong to the Heavenly Father, we should have no love for the world which belongs to Satan. And that means we should be tearing down those bridges, not maintaining and enjoying them. Galatians again: “They that are Christ’s have crucified the FLESH with the affections and lusts. And, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the WORLD is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
Perhaps to better understand this dehortation, we might consider THREE CLASSIC EXAMPLES.
Not only does the Bible give us examples of these temptations, but it often shows us what happens when we cross one or more of those bridges into the forbidden world. I have noticed that many preachers refer to three examples which tie all three lusts together. The first is found in the very first temptation, which makes it significant. The first mention of anything in the Bible sets the table for what follows. This is why the Book of Genesis is so important.
When Satan came to Eve, she was residing in the most perfect place in God’s physical creation. He began his attack on the Creator Himself. “Yea, hath God said, thou shalt not eat of every tree of the garden?” I don’t know if Eve, surrounded in God’s blessings, had even thought about what she was missing. Satan said, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Most likely Eve had never before seen that there was a bridge between her heart and Satan’s world. But, “when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Technically it might be impossible to cross three bridges at one time, but Eve did it. The tree was good for food, appealing to the flesh. And the fruit was as appealing to the eye, or perhaps even more, than any fruit in the garden. And the reference to becoming as a god, certainly appealed to Eve’s pride. She crossed the bridge and dragged her husband. Together they carried all their children with them into the Satan’s world of sin.
The second most common illustration of John’s three points is Achan during the battle at Jericho. God had told Israel, that Jericho, the first city to be taken by Israel in the Promised land… Jericho was to be entirely dedicated to the Lord as a kind of first fruits offering. Joshua 6:17: “The city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD… And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.” Out of all the people of Israel, soldiers and civilians, one man, Achan, disobeyed the Lord’s command. When he was exposed he readily confessed his sin. “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them…” Achan crossed all three bridges. He couldn’t look away when he saw a quantity of silver and gold, but many other Israelites did. The more he submitted to the lust the eyes, the more his flesh lusted to take the treasure home. And then there was also that goodly Babylonish garment. It didn’t cover his flesh any better than his old rags, and how could he possibly wear it without questions? Perhaps he had little hope of ever wearing that garment. But there was just something about being the proud owner of such a marvelous foreign robe. As I say the man crossed all three bridges.
The third most common event used to illustrate John’s statement is the temptation of our Lord Jesus. Matthew 4: “When the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Remember that the Lord Jesus had been without food for forty days and nights. Satan’s temptation appealed to the Lord’s physical flesh. But it was denied. The third temptation was against both the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Again, the Lord Jesus, in the power of the Spirit refused to cross that bridge. And when it came to tempting the Lord Christ to provoke the Father, there was victorious there as well.
One application of this is that we don’t need to follow Eve across the bridge into the Devil’s world. In the power of the Holy Spirit we can be as victorious as the Lord Jesus Himself. I’m not saying that, as strong young men, the victory is in our hands and strength. It is not. And I’m not saying that we will always be able to resist the powerful draw of Satan’s world. We won’t. But victory is possible. And when we fail, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Now, let me ask you: Does Satan usually bring his most powerful guns to bear on us? When we see his vast army approaching, we know we better flee to the Rock or hide under Christ’s wings. The Devil knowing this, usually comes to us with only one temptation, and often a smaller one at that. We are less suspicious and defensive if the assault is covert rather than overt. So it is often in the smaller things that Satan approaches us.
In that light let’s consider OTHER SATANIC ATTACKS which involved less than all three bridges.
What worldly temptations fell on Peter when he denied his Lord and Saviour? First, he was tempting his own flesh by warming his hands at the fire of the world. I personally think, that when he swore and denied knowing Christ, he was more concerned about how people looked at him than what their swords and stones might do to him. He crossed the bridge of “the pride of life” and he gave the world its victory.
When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the church about their large offering, they crossed two lines. Their greedy flesh wanted to keep some of the price of their land deal. But at the same time their pride yearned for worldly praise of the church for what they did give.
I’m not sure how you look at the conflict between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark and the second missionary journey. Yes, good things came out of it, partly because God chose to bless Mark. But I can’t look at the two elder missionaries without seeing a battle of pride between them. They both believed their position about Mark was right, and neither one was going to concede to the other. It was, I think, a shameful event in the history of the early church.
A few weeks ago I referred to Christ’s journey through Samaria toward Jerusalem. When He sent some of the disciples to find a place for them to spend the night, they were not well-received “because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.” “When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?” Were these two brethren among the messengers whom Jesus sent into this little village? Were they tired and hungry to the point their flesh cried out for judgment against the Samaritans? Or was it their pride that was hurt? Whatever it was Christ rebuked them for their sinful attitude.
What was the problem that made some of the Jewish believers reject the idea of Gentile believers? Wasn’t it the pride of life in which they grew up? It took a divine vision for Peter to get over that sin.
When John said, “Love not…” wasn’t he implying that we can choose to love or not love? Perhaps another message would be helpful, examining those saints who have put up temporary blockades on those bridges. There are scriptures like Psalm 119:37 which provide the material for those barriers. Lord, “Turn away mine eyes from behold vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” And there are dozens of verses which remind us to protect ourselves from pride. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” And I’ve already referred to the dangers of fleshly desires.
Satan has plenty of fiery arrows in his quiver with which to defeat us. We don’t need to open the window to let them in. We MUST not cross those bridges into his evil domain.