John isn’t pulling any punches here - he is saying with brutal clarity that if our greatest love is for things of the earth - sex, money, fame, possessions - then we don’t know God. Hits a little too close to home? I suggest that is his intention.
John also makes an important distinction - the lust of the flesh versus the lust of the eyes are different. The lust of the flesh is referring to bodily temptations like sex, whereas the lust of the eyes points to things that we see and desire around us (greed or envy). And when he refers to the pride of life, John is basically saying: what do you boast about? We should boast only in what Christ has done, not in our own achievements.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)
In fact, if we are honest we know that we have no achievements that aren’t blessings from God. Only when our perspective has shifted towards the Kingdom can we see what truly matters – only then can we properly discern between the temporary and the eternal.
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
#LoveMatters