1 John 2:12–14
12 2:12I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
13 2:13I 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.
14 2:14I 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.
Section Overview
This passage presents a tangled web of difficulties for explaining exactly who and what is in view. What is the difference between “I am writing” (present tense verb, three times) and “I write” (aorist tense verb, three times)? Who are the “children,” “fathers,” and “young men”—are these three separate groups, or do they overlap in some way? And what is the point of the message to each group? It may help to place the parallel portions side-by-side, as in table 5.1. Identical language is in bold.
TABLE 5.1: The Parallel Portions of 1 John 2:12–14
| (12) I am writing to you, little children [Gk. teknia], because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. | (13, continued) I write to you, children [Gk. paidia], because you know the Father. |
| (13) I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning | (14) I write 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, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. |
The comments to each group concern gospel benefits mentioned elsewhere in the letter: forgiveness of sins (1:9), knowing God (2:3), overcoming the Evil One (4:4 [addressed specifically to teknia]; 5:4–5), the word of God abiding (1:8, 10; 2:24). The only one missing from the rest of the letter in explicit terms is the comment to the young men about being strong.
The repetition of “I am writing” and “I write” is rhetorical, functioning as a call to renewed focus. John has already mentioned reasons for his writing (1:4; 2:1), but having gotten well into his message addressing holiness and love for fellow believers, John pauses to ensure that he has their attention. It is as if John, as a good preacher, pauses at a key moment and says, “Listen to me!”
Given the parallelism, it is unlikely that any distinction is intended between “little children” (v. 12, teknia) and “children” (v. 13, paidia). Teknia occurs only in John’s writings in the NT and always seems to serve as a term of endearment—it is an emotionally evocative term, demonstrating love and fatherly concern.1 Furthermore, since throughout this letter John refers to his audience as a whole with both of these terms (teknia, 2:12, 28; 3:18; 4:4; 5:21; paidia, 2:18; 3:7), it is unlikely that in these verses he uses the terms to refer to simply one part of his audience. Therefore, by “children” or “little children” John refers to the whole church.
John then refers to the believers in two categories using encouraging terms. “Father” was a term of respect in the ancient world that evoked the responsibility to care for, lead, and be an example for others. Thus John is appealing here to those with some level of maturity within the church. Those who do not yet have the maturity (younger in age or in the faith) are addressed as “young men” (neaniskoi), a term often connected with a stage of particular strength, vitality, and potential. In the LXX this word is used for the men who went into Jericho as spies (Josh. 6:23) and for Daniel and his three friends, who remained faithful to God in exile (Dan. 1:17). Thus John refers to this group in terms of their potential and promise.
As mentioned above, each of the “because” clauses refers to gospel benefits mentioned elsewhere in the letter. John is saying, in essence, “I am writing to you because you believe the gospel and have held fast to it in spite of the false teachers who have left the church” (cf. 2:19). At this point in the letter he pauses to remind them of powerful gospel benefits in order to encourage them in their continued perseverance.
Section Outline
Response
John provides a valuable pastoral example in this section. He has not dodged the challenging truths that needed to be stated in the previous sections. He has been bold and direct. But he is not shrill, and he does not stay in confrontation mode. Here he pauses to encourage his people with the reality of gospel promises. These truths—and not browbeating—are what will inspire them to persevere and to pursue holiness.