I am writing to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one. (1 John 2:12 – 14)
John starts out by reminding the children their “sins have been forgiven on account of his name”. If these are children in the faith, that seems like a great reminder, because when you are still looking for ‘milk and not real food’ your faith is weaker than when you later are able to ‘move beyond childish things’.
His second reminder to the children is that they “know the Father”. This too, seems like an apt reminder for the young in faith, and also is a reminder to the rest of us that we should trust in our Father with a child-like faith.
Next he speaks to the fathers, and this could be actual fathers being reminded of the Heavenly Father that is there for them; or perhaps to ‘fathers in the faith’, which could mean the elderly, or more experienced members of the body of believers.
First, John reminds them that they “know him who is from the beginning”, clearly talking about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega – the Beginning and the End.
And then…. he repeats the exact same phrase! Why would he tell the fathers that they know “him who is from the beginning” twice in a row? I think this means that this is a very important reminder that those who have been in the faith a long time badly need, as those who have been long-time followers are often lackadaisical and get into a routine, instead of remaining steadfast in our zealousness for the Lord. We may get bored and take the great truths of God’s Word for granted, so this reminder is a great one – basically saying that “you know Him”, and again I say “you know Him”! In other words, DON’T FORGET WHO YOU BELONG TO!
The young men are the last in both sections. These reminders could be pointing to those who are beyond milk and in the robust years of their faith where the ‘real meat’ of God’s Word tastes so very sweet. These believers are strong in faith and ready to ‘make it happen’ for the Lord!
Again, John is repetitious. First, he tells them they have “overcome the evil one”, making reference to the evil prince of this world – Satan. But then John adds to it the next time, saying “because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one”. This is a reminder of why they have overcome – they are strong in the faith, and they have the Word of God in them, which is how they are able to overcome the devil.
So it doesn’t matter whether you are a baby in Christ; are maturing and bold in His Truth; or are deeply experienced and an elder in the body of Christ, as John himself was when he wrote this. What matters is you remember that you know Him, and He lives in you through all time.
If you don’t know the true joy of Christ, today is the day!