I Am Writing (1 Jno. 2:12-14)

I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
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, 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 abides in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

The apostle John was writing to “little children,” “fathers,” “young men,” “children,” “fathers,” and “young men.” If this passage is judged or interpreted literally and critically, it may seem like John suffered a loss of clarity. Yet, the Holy Spirit gave this to John. We should not, therefore, quickly dismiss the paragraph or plead negatively against the writer or Source.

This is best understood as John writing to Christians at various levels of maturity, encouraging them and commending them for seeking forgiveness in the first place, knowing Christ, overcoming the evil one and receiving and using strength supplied by the Word of God. “He is indicating, not their physical ages, but the stages in their spiritual development. God’s family, like every human family, has members of differing maturity,” (Dan King, p. #62, Truth Commentaries – The Three Epistles of John).

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