Fellowshipping With The Father And The Son - Part 11

John is called the “Apostle of Love.” In his first epistle he expresses love for his readers much like parents express love for their children.

A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, "I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible a little, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about the use of the car."

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, "Son, I’ve been so very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your haircut." The young man waited a moment and replied, "Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, even Jesus had long hair..." His father interrupted him at that point and said, "Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!"

Just like this father, John related to his beloved “children” from a position of love and concern for them.

Early in chapter two of his first letter, John writes, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Today, we will be looking at verses 12-14 of this chapter:

(1 John 2:12 NKJV) I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

(1 John 2:13 NKJV) 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 wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

(1 John 2:14 NKJV) I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

Did you know there are only two families in the world: the family of God, and the family of Satan?

According to the Bible there is no such thing as the universal fatherhood of God or the brotherhood of man. This is the heresy that teaches that God is everyone's father and that all men are brothers. Men are either children of God or of Satan.

As Christians, we do not love the world because we are the family of God. In our text, John describes the different kind of believers in the family of God. Some are spiritual babies, some are young men, and some are fathers, but we are all His children by faith in Jesus Christ.

John speaks about the family of God and the different levels of maturity that His children have. John lets us know that the very nature of the family allows no possibility of loving God and the satanic system simultaneously.

Let’s look at the text.

I write to you, little children…

To begin with, “little children” refers to all believers. Literally, this word means, “born ones.” It comes from the word, teknion, tek-nee'-on, meaning an infant, little born one.

John then gives the reason he is writing these little born ones: “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.”

Your sins are forgiven you…

“Are forgiven” is the expression that means “to send from one’s self, to send away, to bid, go away or depart. When God forgives us He puts away our sins. He sends away their guilt, defilement, and penalty and He does this at the Cross.

The words “are forgiven” are in the perfect tense, which means that they speak of a past, completed action having present and permanent results.

John is telling us that we become the “little born ones” of God when our sins have been forgiven. Sins are forgiven when one trusts in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

All Christians have been born into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, and their sins have been forgiven. Regardless of age or maturity, if you have been born again, you are a born one, a child of God.

John is telling us that our sins were put away at the Cross, with the result that they are never more remembered against us.

When I did something wrong as a boy I had to look forward to the wrath of Mom. As I waited for her to get home from work the clock would seem like it was running in slow motion.