1 John 2:16 tells us, “For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world.” In this passage of Scripture, the Apostle John tells us that there are three things the world will tempt us with: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Each of these three temptations comes from the evil, wicked world. The Bible tells us the world is under the control of Satan and has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). It is not surprising that the lust of the eyes comes from the world.
What Is the Lust of the Eyes?
Right before John tells us about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, he tells us not to love the things of the world. 1 John 2:15 reads, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” In other words, if a person loves the world, they cannot love God at the same time.
The practices of the world are evil, sinful, and wicked. If a person loves the ways of the world, then they do not truly know God. The lust of the eyes is one of the three temptations John mentions in this passage, with the first being the lust of the flesh, the second being the lust of the eyes, and the third being the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
Each of these three temptations is a very strong desire for unbelievers and believers alike. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life all come from the world. This is because we live in a fallen world, filled with sin. When God created everything, He created everything good (Genesis 1:31).
After the fall of man, the world became corrupted with sin, disease, and death (Romans 5:12). Since we live in a fallen world, we now have to deal with the sin and temptations of the world. The world is described to be at enmity with God.
The Lord’s half-brother, James tells us, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4). A person cannot be a friend to the world and still be a fully devoted follower of the Lord.
This does not mean God hates the people of the world as we are told God loves the world so much that He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16-17). God does not hate the people in the world, but He does hate the evil practices of the world (Proverbs 6:16-19; 8:13; Psalm 11:5).
The lust of the eyes can be described as the sinful desire to want to have the things we see, such as money, material possessions, houses, cars, a certain physical appearance, or even looking at someone lustfully. Our eyes see everything physical around us and our own eyes can cause us to covet or want something we do not possess.
As an example, Eve committed the sinful desire of the lust of the eyes when she saw the forbidden fruit. The Bible tells us, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6).
Eve had seen the fruit as being “good for food,” “pleasing to the eye,” as well as “desirable for gaining wisdom.” Despite God having clearly forbidden Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:2), Eve chose to listen to the serpent and desired, pursued, and ate the fruit.
God had actually told Adam and Eve not only not to eat the fruit, but He also told them not even to touch the fruit for they would die (Genesis 3:2). Even though death was the sure future for touching and eating the fruit, Eve followed the lustful desire of her eyes.
Is Lust the Same as Adultery?
Just as lusting after the fruit with her eyes caused her to want to physically eat the fruit, the sinful desires of the lust of our eyes today can cause us to commit physical sin. Jesus told His disciples that if a person even looks lustfully at a person, the individual has already committed adultery with that person in their heart (Matthew 5:28).
If we merely look and covet after any material possession, we are sinning against God. The Lord tells us clearly that we must not covet, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17).
In the same manner, Paul reaffirms the importance of abstaining from covetousness when he wrote to the Church in Ephesus (Ephesians 5:3). Covetousness or desiring something someone else has is a sin. When we are not content with what God has given us, we are ultimately complaining against God.
The Lord has given us everything we need: redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. There is nothing greater than living in the truth of Jesus’ love. The lust of the eyes will try to trick us into thinking that God is withholding good things from our lives. This is simply not true as God richly provides us with everything we need (1 Timothy 6:17).
The lust of the eyes does not come from God but comes from the world. This sinful desire comes from the world because the world entices us to want and covet things we do not need or things that will be harmful to us. God does not want us to fall into the temptation of the lust of the eyes because it will only cause us pain, grief, and despair.
What Does This Mean?
The lust of the eyes will be an ongoing temptation in our life, but as believers, we do not have to succumb to desires of our flesh nature. Praying to God can help us get out of sticky situations and give us strength to overcome sin.
Paul tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The lust of the eyes is a strong temptation from the world, but we can take our stand against it (Ephesians 6:10-18). God knows we cannot overcome sin on our own and He is ready to help us be victorious in our struggle with sin, including the lust of the eyes.
For further reading:
What Does the Bible Say about the Lust of the Flesh?
What Is Lust? 4 Ways to Avoid Falling into This Sin
What Are the Seven Deadly Sins?
How Can Sex be a Sin and a Gift?
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