By way of review today, our pastor reminded us what had been happening in 1 John to this point. John was writing to encourage those who were weak in their faith, those seeking assurance of their salvation. John has given his readers a series of tests that must be passed so that they may determine whether they truly know God, and these tests have made a clear distinction between a true and false confession. In this passage in chapter 2, it is as if John takes a break from the testing to address those who have passed all the tests.
He addresses several different groups in the church--little children, young men, and fathers--and commentators are at odds here about whether he is addressing specific groups or whether he is just indicating a spiritual progression. But he is writing to the church, and what he has to say here is for all of us, whether we are little children, young men, or fathers.
He addresses little children in vv. 12 and 13, but he uses two different Greek words for little children in each verse. The expression in v. 12 refers to one who is being nurtured and fed, from the womb through young adulthood. There is no specific age reference in view in v. 13. The comparison in English would be when you might ask someone who is eighty how many children he or she has. Their response, "I have four children," is not an indication of their age--no one would think this person is speaking of toddlers here--but rather the idea of progeny, one who is following another. These little children in 1 John are being discipled; they have been trained in the truth. They know the basic truth that they are forgiven, and they also know that they are loved by the Father. The knowing that is spoken of here is a deep knowing--to know with certainty, without a doubt. In verse 12 we are told that we have been forgiven for His name's sake, and this "His" refers to Jesus Christ. We are forgiven not because of anything we have done but for His name's sake.
The next group addressed is fathers. The fathers have known Him with a certain knowledge from the beginning. This "beginning" is not a time reference, eg., "I have known him since the beginning of this year." "From the beginning" is a description of Christ, the One who is from the beginning. Jesus Christ's nature is emphasized here, who He is. John has already spoken in these terms in John 1:1. There is a repeat of the phrase "you have known Him from the beginning" in v. 14, yet this is a different declaration from the statement in v. 13. This time, the antecedent of the pronoun "Him" is God the Father (cf. Isaiah 41:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).
The third group John addresses are young men. He reminds them that they are overcomers, a theme he will revisit in 1 John 5. The child of God does not have to fear Satan overcoming him. We are, by definition, those who have overcome the evil one, and we need not live in fear or dread, as some of those claiming to be Christians fear demon possession or being defeated by Satan. We are strong: the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. The Word of God abides in us, and this means the child of God has an eternal, unbreakable relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
This passage is a description of the test passers, those who have professed their faith and who know Christ as their Savior.
