Overcoming the world
The word world refers to the planet we live on and also to those who live on it, humankind loved by God (3:16). But because humanity in general rejects God, the New Testament writers also use world to refer to humankind in opposition to God (1:10; 14:17; 1 John 2:15-17). The devil is the head of this opposition to God, which is why Jesus calls him the prince of this world (30; 2 Cor.4:4).
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And now it seems that the devil is about to win a mighty victory, for the moment of Jesus’s destruction is at hand. But Jesus himself knew that ultimately the devil had no power over him, for all which would take place was within the will and purpose of God (30; 13:2-3). The outcome would, in fact, turn the devil’s expectation on its head, for through Jesus’s obedience “even to death on a cross” (Phil.2:8), the world is judged and the prince of this world is defeated (12:31; Col.2:15).
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This triumph over the world and the devil is achieved though the love which Jesus has for the Father, out of which he does all that the Father has commanded, utterly trusting that the Father knows what he is doing (31). For his followers likewise, love, obedience and trust are the keys to overcoming the world (1 John 5:1-5).