1 John 2:12-14
12 I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.
13 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.
13 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known 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.
because you have known the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you have known 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.
These verses give us three different stages of a man. To become a man, a child must be born. The infant that is born grows, and when he is physically fully grown, he is a young man. As this young man grows in age and experience, he matures even more, and usually, at some point he becomes a father. This cycle is common and familiar to us all, and that is perhaps why John uses it to help us understand the stages of spiritual growth within the life of a Christian.
Verse 12 starts out by saying, "I write to you, dear children..." As I read my commentary on that phrase, I learned that the original word used here for children, or as some versions say, "little children" means "offspring of any age". All of us as people, are someone's child. Spiritually speaking, we become a child of God when we are born again. John is writing here to all believers, to all who have been born into God's kingdom by trusting in Jesus as their Savior. To become a child, we must be born, and once we have come to God through Jesus, we are born again, this time not by flesh, but our spirit is born again, into eternal life, where before, it was dead in sin! We don't have to wonder where we stand, or what our relationship is with God once we become a believer, because God's Word makes it clear what we are! 1 John 3:1 says:
"How great is the love that the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"
God, in His love, mercy and grace, gives us the right to be called His children, and so, we have become a part of God's family. I highlighted the words in the verse above that my eyes were drawn to, as I thought about the status we have been given. Jesus, as God's only begotten Son (see John 3:16), now calls us "brothers". Hebrews 2:10 and 11 use a few phrases that really speak to me about our standing as Christians... I will again highlight the phrases that draw attention to what we are before God, when we are in Christ:
"In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for Whom and through Whom everything exists, should make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers."
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the family of God. I think of families with adopted children. Many times the child that has been adopted has been rescued from a very difficult environment. They have gone from being in a situation with very little hope for a bright future, usually into a situation where there is great hope for a wonderful future. They are given every right of a true child of that family and accepted fully as that, or at least that will be the case, if the parents are loving! Our God is an all-loving Father, and we are given every right of a true child when we come into His family. This gives me great joy!
Our sins, which separated us from God, are forgiven on account of Jesus' name! He accepts us as brothers, as joint heirs of all that He has been given! I want to share another passage that drives this truth home. As I read these verses, taken from Galatians 3:26 - 4:7, I was focused on the word "sons" (or for us women, I guess we could translate that as "children", or "daughters" :), and "heirs"...
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you
who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise.
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child,
he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also,
when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, to redeem those under law,
that we might receive the full rights of sons.
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son,
and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."
If we are born again, then the Holy Spirit of God resides within us, causing us to call out, "Abba", which means "Father", just as Jesus Himself called out to the Father while He was on this Earth. These verses are God's truth, and they tell us that we have been baptized (placed into) Christ, that there is no difference in status or in class - we are all equal, we are all ONE - in Christ. It tells us that God found us worth sending Jesus for, to redeem us, so that we could receive FULL RIGHTS as SONS! It tells us that, if we place our faith in Christ Jesus, though we WERE slaves, we now ARE sons, HEIRS of the promise!
When a man and a woman have a child, that child remains their child forever, even though they grow up, even when they move away from home. I find myself still wanting that care that my parents gave me as a child, even though I am now a woman with my own children. I find myself still wanting my parents' recognition and love. When we become God's children by trusting in Christ, we always remain His children and we will always need Him in our lives! But the same as happens to a child physically, we do grow up - we do not remain infants forever, spiritually speaking.
When 1 John 2:13 talks about "fathers", I think about how, in my opening paragraph, the young man is fully grown, and now has also grown in wisdom and maturity as he ages and goes through various life experiences. We don't grow wise and mature overnight; it takes time for God to shape us into the people He desires us to be. The verses that came to mind as I was thinking about this stage of maturity was James 1:2-4, which say:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything."
As I think about John including "fathers" as part of the audience he is writing to, it affirms to me that one will never mature to a point where one doesn't need to be in the Word to keep learning, and "feeding" on what it says.
"Fathers" have known Him Who is from the beginning, that is, Jesus (1 John 1:1 and John 1:1). They have known Jesus! Looking back at 1 John 2:3-5, I am reminded that in order to have matured into a spiritual father (someone who knows Jesus), they have learned obedience; they have learned to walk as Jesus walked. Because they are living in the power of His strength, His love is made complete in them. These spiritual fathers are great examples to us less mature Christians, as we see so much of Jesus' character in them, and we can learn lots by looking at the way they live their lives! The commentary I read used this verse to describe a "father", found in Philippians 3:10:
"Fathers" have known Him Who is from the beginning, that is, Jesus (1 John 1:1 and John 1:1). They have known Jesus! Looking back at 1 John 2:3-5, I am reminded that in order to have matured into a spiritual father (someone who knows Jesus), they have learned obedience; they have learned to walk as Jesus walked. Because they are living in the power of His strength, His love is made complete in them. These spiritual fathers are great examples to us less mature Christians, as we see so much of Jesus' character in them, and we can learn lots by looking at the way they live their lives! The commentary I read used this verse to describe a "father", found in Philippians 3:10:
"I want to KNOW CHRIST and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings..."
That verse always reminds me of the disciples in Acts chapter 5, when, after having been flogged and ordered not to speak in the Name of Jesus, they went on their way, "...rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 5:41 and 42). To me, that's what a spiritual father looks like!
A young man, physically, is in the prime of his life. He is not a child anymore, but capable of more work and responsibility than a child is able to bear. Young men and women often have almost endless energy, drive, and strength, but it is good for them to be able to look to someone older and wiser, for that guidance and stability they still need. John encourages these young men, saying to them, "You have overcome the evil one". I imagine a strong young man fighting in battle. The strength they have increasingly gained since they were children is serving them well in this fight, which is a fight against our enemy, the devil. They have overcome him, and so, are not going to fall easily for his temptations, tricks, and schemes, because they have learned to recognize how the devil works, and also how to gain the strength they need by drawing near to God. James 4:7 and 8 say:
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Young men and women who are growing in the Lord are giving up their own way for God's way, for His plan. They don't give in to the devil - they RESIST him, and then they watch him flee! They seek God, and come near to Him, and there they find their strength, as God comes near to them and His Spirit dwells in their hearts. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong, but is clear to remind us where our strength comes from. It says:
The Christians who have matured to the stage of being "young men" are going forward in the strength and power that Christ gives. Through Him they are cleansed from sin, their hearts are purified so that they can see clearly. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said:
These maturing Christians desire one thing more than any other - to KNOW Jesus Christ. Staying in this path will mature them to the point where they become fathers, of whom John says again, in verse 14, "you have KNOWN HIM Who is from the beginning"!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
In the last phrase of verse 13, where John again says, "I write to you, dear children", I learned that the original Greek word actually means specifically young children, as opposed to the phrase, "dear children" in verse 12, which meant children/offspring of any age. So that means that now John is talking to young believers, people who have become Christians, but have not yet grown very much in their walk with God. He says he writes to them because they have known the Father. Young children grow quickly. It doesn't take them long to recognize their parents. A new believer has found the way, through Christ, to God. They know the Father, and they are filled with joy at having found the way. But young children need food so that they can grow. Normally, it is the parents who provide the food that will satisfy the child's hunger and help him to grow tall and strong and healthy. God, as our Father, also provides us with spiritual food that will nourish us and cause spiritual growth. He has given us Jesus, who is the living bread, and the living water. In John 6:35 Jesus says:
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."
We also have, as our source of spiritual "food", the Bible. When the devil tried to tempt Jesus into sin, Jesus combatted the temptations thrown His way each time with a Scripture that stopped Satan's attack. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which says:
"...man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God."
When someone becomes a believer, he should hunger for the things of God. He should want to take in what the Bible has to say. In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter writes:
If a child doesn't want to eat, he doesn't grow, and eventually he becomes malnourished. It becomes evident that something is wrong with the child's health, and he should be examined to see where the problem lies. In the same way, if a believer does not grow in his walk with the Lord, something is wrong. If it is me that is not growing, I should examine my heart, asking the Great Physician - Jesus - to heal me, and to help me hunger for Him and His Word, so that I will be able to continue to grow as a healthy believer should!
This brings us back to the young men, of whom John also makes one more statement. In 1 John 2:14, he says, "I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you", and again, "and you have overcome the evil one". We cannot overcome the devil without strength! We need Christ's strength, and we need the Word of God! As I thought about the phrase, "the word of God lives in you", I thought of how Jesus is "the Word", and how He makes His home in the hearts of His people. If we submit our lives to Him, to His perfect plan, He will be able to live through us. I also thought of the Bible. So many Christians take too many years to develop into this spiritual stage of being "strong men" who overcome the attacks of the evil one, simply because they are not reading the Bible, meditating on what they are reading, and asking the Lord to help them understand.
In 2 Peter 3:18, his closing prayer for the believers he is writing to is that they will:
"...like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
This brings us back to the young men, of whom John also makes one more statement. In 1 John 2:14, he says, "I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you", and again, "and you have overcome the evil one". We cannot overcome the devil without strength! We need Christ's strength, and we need the Word of God! As I thought about the phrase, "the word of God lives in you", I thought of how Jesus is "the Word", and how He makes His home in the hearts of His people. If we submit our lives to Him, to His perfect plan, He will be able to live through us. I also thought of the Bible. So many Christians take too many years to develop into this spiritual stage of being "strong men" who overcome the attacks of the evil one, simply because they are not reading the Bible, meditating on what they are reading, and asking the Lord to help them understand.
In 2 Peter 3:18, his closing prayer for the believers he is writing to is that they will:
"...grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
First of all, I pray that by God's grace, I will be able to grow in His grace, and in my knowledge of Who Jesus truly is, and what He has done for me, and for all mankind. And then, I pray for all the "children" I know, as they begin their walk of faith in Jesus Christ. Some of these are new Christians, and some are those who have forgotten to "feed" on the Word, but who will still yet grow into strong men and women of God. I pray for the "young men". They are often the ones who are easy to spot, because they are bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Some of them are hard at work, allowing God to use their lives to further His gospel, and some bear fruit that is not so easily seen right away, but they have a hunger for the Word of God, and they are building their foundation on the Rock of Jesus Christ! I pray too, for the "fathers", that they would see how much us younger Christians need them! We need the stability they give, the examples of their unshakable faith, and also their prayers :).
***I would like to "dedicate" this blog entry to my husband and my four sons. Verse 14 is my prayer for them - as they continue to grow, may God give them a deep knowledge of Christ as they grow in relationship with Him, and may each of them be strong in the Lord, with the Word of God living in them (keep memorizing those AWANA verses, boys), and so, may they overcome the evil one, by the power of God at work in them!
