STRENGTH FOR THE STRONG

“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His Name. 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. 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” 1 John 2:12-14.

Greetings to you in the Name of our Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. When the All India Leaders of Shalom Family Enrichment Mission met on the 11^th and 12^th of April, 2015, we could see the great developments in all areas. We have grown from strength to strength. Praise be to God.

This month I am going to share with you from the writings of John to the early church. These verses 12 to 16 of chapter 2 in his first letter, are words of reassurance. Now the author addresses them directly as those who belong to the light and reside (or remain) in the light. The opponents were described last, in 2:11, as being “in the darkness” and “walking in the darkness” and having their eyes “blinded” by the darkness. At first glance the number of groups addressed by the author in 1 John 2:12-14 appears obvious, there are three: “little children,” “fathers”, and “young people”.

When John addresses children, fathers, and young men, he does not mean that what he says of one group is not true of the other. That’s obvious as you read the whole letter and see each of these privileges applied to the church as a whole. This gives a clear picture of growing step by step into His own image.

I think the three groups of “children,” “fathers,” and “young men” originated something like this. In these verses John wants to reach out to the church with affection and encouragement. So he begins by calling them all children, just like he does five other times (2:1, 18; 3:18; 4:4; 5:21). If you look up all the places where John tells us why he is writing, you find two strands.

First, he says in 2:1, “I am writing this to you that you may not sin.” In other words, he doesn’t want them to get sick. He wants them to stay well. Then in 2:26 he says, “I write this to you about those who would deceive you.” In other words, he is warning them about some dangerous germs of error in the community. “Watch out for the germs! Don’t get sick!” That’s one strand –letters to urge the church to vigilance—don’t throw your health away on all-night parties and junk food and lazy habits of modern days preached by some. But there is also a second strand in John’s letter. In 2:21 John says, “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it.”

As our text (2:12–13) says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake [pardoned through His Name and on account of confessing His Name]. I am writing to you fathers, because you have come to know [recognize, be aware of, and understand] Him Who [has existed] is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.” Not because you are sick but because you are well—thank God!

Let me try to clarify how this works by using the three statements of 2:12–13. In the first case, John would say, “Remember what I said back in 1:7. Don’t go on walking in the darkness, because only if you walk in the light will the blood of Jesus cleanse you from all sin. But YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN!” (2:12).In the second case he would say, “Remember what I said back in 2:4. Don’t go on disobeying God’s commandments because if you do, your claim to know Christ would be a lie. But YOU DO KNOW HIM WHO WAS FROM THE BEGINNING!” (2:13). And in the third case he would say, “Remember the truth of 3:8. Don’t go on sinning because he who sins is of the devil. But YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE!” (2:13).

You are forgiven! You know Christ! You have conquered the devil! So be encouraged! Abide in Christ! Use his truth and power to avoid the germs of error and to defeat the temptation to sin.

So the three levels of Christian growth in relation to sin could be summed up as follows:

1. The first level is compared to “little children”. Little children in the faith are characterized in having their sins forgiven and possessing a knowledge of God. In other words, they are in the family of God and have overcome the penalty of sin, but they haven’t grown to full maturity.
2. The second level is “young men”, those who have overcome the evil one. These are aggressively growing believers who are strong because the Word of God abides in them. They know the truth and how to use it to resist the devil in the battle for their minds. They are no longer in bondage to uncontrollable habits, and they have resolved the personal and spiritual combats which keep many Christians from experiencing freedom in Christ. They are free and they know how to stay free.
3. The third level is “fathers”, those have developed deep personal knowledge of Christ. Their faith is securely founded on a close, intimate, loving relationship with God, which is the goal of our spiritual growth.

What about your faith? Are you a “child”, a “young man” or a “father”? Is it your daily goal to grow to maturity in your faith? Have you overcome the evil one?

Prayer: Lord, I want to grow into Your image and so please help me to listen to your sweet voice. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.