1 John 2:13-14
“I 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. I 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.”
A triple exhortation to three different levels of Christian. Allow me to examine each of these in one part. For there are many different types of Christians, but each one can be found contained in some part in these verses. You see, the fatherly Christians would represent those who are mature in their faith, perhaps leaders in the church or the community. The young men would be those seasoned Christians, who, while they don’t have the wisdom of the fathers, have the energy and vigor and desire to know more. The children, of course, would be the mere babes in Christ, who have little experience in the Word, but faith that could move mountains. However, as I said, allow me to examine each one of these in detail. Beginning, of course, with the fathers.
These represent the leaders, as all fathers should be. These represent those who have been in the faith for years and years, who have gained in understanding of the Word through careful study, and know the Lord. Perhaps ministers, deacons, or any elder in the church. Of course, there are many elders in the church who neglect their duty, who simply take the position because of pride, but these fathers are not so. They “know Him who is from the beginning.” They know the Lord. One cannot know the Lord unless one becomes acquainted with His Word, and builds a steady relationship with Him. Therefore, the fathers know the Lord. They are diligent in prayer, earnest in their study, humble, Christlike.
For without these attributes one cannot come to a fuller understanding of the Lord of Hosts. Without diligence, then sin will never be mortified, wickedness will never be overcome, one will never have a consistent prayer life or truly understand what the Lord God Almighty desires of a man. Without earnestness, study will never be done, one will never grow in knowledge of the Lord, and therefore, one cannot know how we are then to live. Without humility, one will never see the destitution of one’s own soul, the wickedness that pervades every man, and will never repent of his wickedness. Without Christlikeness, what is the very point of calling oneself a Christian? If one does not emulate the Son of the Most High, the most important command we are to follow, then a man is not a Christian. It is hard to say that a man is not a Christian, but if these things are not followed, is one demonstrating a love for the King? I would say no, but that is up to you, dear reader.
Therefore, a father is composed of these things. An elder in the church should ”know Him who is from the beginning,” otherwise he should not be leading others who desire to know about the Lord. We should strive, every one of us, no matter where we are in our walk with the Lord, to attain this status. Not to say we all should desire to be an elder in the church, but that we should all have the earnest desire to live as a father should live.
Perhaps you don’t consider yourself a father yet. Indeed, those are few and far between. They are a very rare specimen of a man. If you are not a father, perhaps you should consider yourself a young man. Now, young men are those many church members who are seasoned, who have experience in the Lord, but have not yet reached their full maturity. They are the middle ground, where they hold more experience than the children, but do not quite have the understanding of a father yet. These perhaps have the hardest time as Christians. For the devil sees that fathers are fairly invulnerable, that they are set in their ways and likely will not change, but not so with young men. For young men, both metaphorically and literally, have to deal with the lusts of the flesh. You see, fathers have mortified their sin to a point, but young men are still struggling. And, when one struggles with the devil, there are two ways it can go. Either to holiness or to darkness. Young men are vulnerable, but yet strong.
Therefore, the devil attacks them all the more vigorously. The assaults upon young men, both in today’s culture and upon the spiritual battlefield, are fierce. For the world desires to break them down, and the devil controls the malignant forces of this world. Therefore, he sends his best warriors to fight against the young men. For, if young men fall, then there will be no one to replace the fathers; there will be no one to mentor the children. If the young men fall, then those who see them as Christians, might be turned off from the faith. The young men are the lynchpin of the church, and the devil knows this. He attacks them all the more. The temptations to evil do not stop, but the young men must overcome. They must gird themselves. It will not be easy, but war is never easy. To these was written, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” If you are a young man, you are a target. You are the one the devil desires to break down more than anyone else, therefore, be strong. Do not let him win, but rather seek after the Lord and bring glory to His Name.
Perhaps you do not think of yourself as a young man yet. Then you are in the most blessed position in the world! For you have so much to learn, so much to discover about the Lord of Hosts! As a child, who knows nothing of the beauty of the world, then there is so much to discover about the King! This is an envious position indeed, because there is a new world opening up to you, so that you might see and understand. At this point, a Bible is the most valuable tool a child can have. For, like the young men, the devil will try to break you, and, in your impressionable state, heresies might arise that sound good to the ear. These can only be dispelled through the application of the Word of God. Therefore, beloved children, read the Word. This is the greatest way indeed to grow in knowledge, so that you might fight against the power of the devil. When temptations arise, call upon the Name of the Lord, and He will deliver you.
Children in the Lord are much like regular children. They are naive, but in the best way. They do not know about the full effects of sin, but they are willing to learn. They may not know all the theological phrases and lingo that the fathers use, but they earnestly desire to know about the Lord of Hosts. Like I said, this is an enviable position, for it feels as if a new world has been opened to a man. There is no much to learn, it can seem overwhelming, but this is a wonderful blessing from the Almighty! For remaining yet to discover is the glory of the Lord, the beauty of all that He has done, and all His wonderful attributes. Therefore, beloved children, do not cease in your quest! Do not back down from the challenge, but rather, embrace it! There is much you don’t know, but that only means there is much to discover. Keep that fire under you, seek out the Lord, whether that be through reading His Word or Bible-based commentaries, grow in understanding of the Lord.
I do not feel, beloved, that it is up to us to decide which one of these three we are. For to claim to be a father while really only being a young man is a rather childish thing to do. I rather tend to think that the glory of the Lord is so infinite that we all shall remain children in the Lord until we see Him in all His glory, but this is theoretical. There are those who are experienced in the Lord, and certainly more so than others, but the titles here named are more things bestowed upon a man, rather than claimed by that man. Therefore, beloved, whether you are a father, young man, or child, I can only exhort you to one thing. Grow in the knowledge of the Most High. Gain understanding, wisdom, insight, so that you might come to a fuller understanding of His holiness.