b. ii. 12-28. What Walking in the Light excludes: the Things and Persons to be avoided.
Three-fold Statement of Reasons for Writing (ii. 12-14).
Things to be avoided: the World and Its Ways (ii. 15-17).
Persons to be avoided: Antichrists (B. 18-26).
[Transitional.] The Place of Safety: Christ (ii. 27, 28).
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12. "Little children." This is a title of endearment addressed to all St. John's readers, and not to children in age.
"Your sins are forgiven." The Greek perfect tense implies not repeated forgiveness up to the present hour, but rather the unbroken continuance of a conscious freedom from guilt as the result of pardon.
"His name's sake." The antecedent to "His" is Christ, the thought of whom has been present in the mind of John since the last mention of His name in verse 2, and the last reference to Him in verse 6. His name implies all that is contained in His personality, His sinless example, atoning death, glorious resurrection and mediatorial intercession at the right hand of the Father. They who believe in His name not only assent to Christian truths, but also wholly cast themselves upon His atoning merit for the assured possession of eternal life. The declaration of the purpose of the Gospel in John xx. 31 is, "that believing ye may have life through His name." This corresponds very closely with the purpose of this Epistle, "that ye also may have fellowship with us," i. e., divine fellowship implies divine life.
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye know him which is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one. I have written unto you, little children, because ye know the Father
13. "Fathers." Persons eminent in the church and clothed with responsible authority. This title implies maturity of Christian life. It is applied in the Old Testament to prophets (2 Kings 112, vi. 21), priests (Jud. xvii. 10), teachers (Prov. i. 8), and in the Roman Catholic Church to the whole body of pastors. "The whole course of history is, where rightly understood, the manifestation of one will. To know this in Christ is the prerogative of a 'father,' and the knowledge is the opportunity for the completest life." (Bishop Westcott.)
"From the beginning." Him that is from the beginning, the Logos or Word who was (not was created) in the beginning (John i. 1-14); this is from eternity and within time-limits became flesh, by assuming human nature, soul and body.
"Young men." Believers, in the full vigor of their physical and mental powers.
"Have overcome." Not a momentary triumph, but a permanent victory, remaining effective to the present moment, like that of Christ, "I have overcome the world." (John xvi. 33.) Such a victory is the heritage of every perfect and persevering believer.
"The evil one." A personal adversary in the spiritual realm with whom the Christian must have an inevitable conflict, ending in victory, or a shameful defeat through culpable cowardice. In John's writings he is called "the serpent," "the ancient serpent," "the dragon," who is called "the devil and Satan," "the accuser," and the "ruler of this world," whom Paul calls "the (usurping) god of this world." Of his origin we know very little, but enough to know that he was once upright, but voluntarily fell into sin. (John viii. 44.) This excludes dualism, the notion of two co-eternal beings or principles, good and evil, the one inhering in spirit and the other in matter.
14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him which is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one
14. At the close of verse 13, John seems to have laid down his pen for a season. On resuming it again he reads the last verse written in the present tense and proceeds to repeat his address in the use of the past tense, as if explaining his former advice to the same three classes.
"Because ye know him." This knowledge implies the new birth, establishing a direct spiritual connection through the agency of both the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. For "no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." The fatherhood of God is a spiritual relation made known only by a supernatural revelation, through the Holy Spirit, by whom the new birth is accomplished, and by whom, as the Spirit of adoption, crying in our hearts, "Abba, Father," it is revealed. St. John says much about the knowledge of God as the privilege of the believer. The phrase "ye have known" occurs three times in these two verses; "ye, know" occurs eight times, and "we know" is found seventeen times in this Epistle. He teaches a knowable salvation more emphatically than John Wesley. There is involved in the knowledge of the Father, sympathy, love and submission. It dwells not so much in the sphere of the intellect as in that of the heart.
"Have overcome." The perfect tense implies past triumph continuing to the present time. The true Christian is always young. He has the habit of victory, like Napoleon and Grant. Each successive victory makes him stronger for the next conflict. What could stand before a church composed of such members? To conserve this all-conquering strength John now proceeds to warn believers against the enervating effects of worldliness.
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