1 John 2:12-14, Reassurance

Three Stages of the Christian Life
1 John 2:12-14

Introductory Thoughts

· The need at this point—reassurance
· There is a fine line for the preacher and teacher of God’s Word—John is not writing to condemn true believers or to make true believers think they are not saved, but he is writing to test false believers and build assurance in true believers.
· The tests of Christian character found in John cut two ways

Ø For the false believer and the unbeliever, the tests reveal a lost condition
Ø For the True Believer, the tests of 1 John do two things:

Ö The tests demonstrate evidence of true salvation, which gives assurance
Ö The tests reveal areas of needed improvement, contributing to sanctification and growth in grace

· Remember, there are only two races, only two kingdoms—Jn 8:39-44, Col 1:13-14

· In this passage, John uses the analogy of children, young men, and fathers to reveal three levels of spiritual growth in true believers
· These have nothing to do with physical age, nor with gender—they are analogies to help us understand Christian growth


· The problem today—false salvation

(1) Misunderstandings: Remember è the people in the churches in our day are often not well versed in the Bible, and most of those who are unchurched know nothing about the Word.

(a) Doctrinal misunderstandings about salvation—how one is saved, what “saved” means, etc.
(b) Practical misunderstandings about salvation—depending on tradition and emotion

(2) The danger of “Baptist folklore…” So many traditional Baptist understandings about salvation that are just plain false.

(a) Because of Easy Believism, Altar calls mishandled—many people have been manipulated to profess what they do not possess
(b) Sometimes the well-meaning but misleading illustrations of evangelists result in people missing the main point of the Gospel, and responding to a man-made illustration!

(c) Example: an evangelist may tell hearers that they need to lay their baggage and junk at the altar, and a person may respond to that call without any knowledge at all of sin, salvation, confession and faith, grace, etc.

(d) Sometimes assurance of salvation is given by man, by a pastor or an evangelist: “...you are saved now, never let anyone make you doubt that salvation...” Such a statement is totally unBiblical è only the Holy Spirit can give assurance (Rom 8:14-15), and this is evidenced in a changed life.

(e) There is an inadequate understanding of lostness and salvation è no one will ever be saved unless they are first lost! One of the reasons for that is that the Law of God is never preached any more, so many in our Biblically clueless age don’t even recognize that they are sinners.

(f) Weak or non-existent counseling—When a person responds to an invitation, the counselor should spend a lot of time insuring that the counselee really understands what is going on, not just “move in for the decision...”

(g) Weak or non-existent follow-up

(h) No discipleship—remember, the Great Commission is not to make converts, it is to make disciples. A believer who is not a disciple cannot be properly called a believer!


1. The First Level of Christian Growth—Life—Being saved— "I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake…I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.”

a. Little Children—two Greek words are used in this passage for this term, and each has its own empasis. two emphases

(1) Teknia—a child, viewed from the perspective of a relationship—a believer has a relationship with the Father, and with other believers, such as John

(2) Paedia—a child viewed as one under training and discipline—every believer is to be a disciple, one trained and brought up under the discipline of the Word and the local church.

b. What the little children have—Salvation

(1) Sins forgiven

(a) Perfect tense—Sins have been forgiven and go on being forgiven
(b) For His Name’s sake—Acts 4:12—salvation is to be “accepted in the beloved...”

(2) Personal relationship—egnwkate
(a) Root word—ginwskw –to know by experience

(b) Perfect tense—They have come to know the Father, and the effects of that relationship carry forward to the present

(c) The essence of salvation is a personal relationship. John 17:3 ""And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Know = ginwskwsi—to know by experience (present tense—an ongoing relationship)

(d) Rather than being something reserved for mature Christians, a relationship with God the Father is BASIC è if you don’t know God, you are not saved.

(e) Jn 10:27—ginwskw, present tense, He knows us by experience and it is an ongoing relationship.


(f) Rom 8:14-15—Sonship, resulting in the heart’s cry of the redeemed, is basic to salvation. Rom 8:14-15 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.""

2. Young Men—“… I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.. 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."

a. They have all that is given in the first group these guys are saved as well.

b. The words and tenses:

(1) They are victors in spiritual warfare

(a) This is an accomplished fact the state of which continues (perfect tense), and it is repeated twice for emphasis

(b) A major problem with today’s church—so many never get to this point at all. They either remain babes, or are caught somewhere in between babes and “young men.”
(c) This was a problem, even in Paul’s day—Heb 5:12-6:3
(2) Overcomers
(a) In salvation
(b) In sanctification

Luke 11:22 ""But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."

John 16:33 ""These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.""

Rom 3:4 "Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: "That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.""

Rom 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

1 John 2:13-14 "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. 14 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."

1 John 4:4 "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

1 John 5:4-5 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Rev 2:7 ""He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."'"

Rev 2:11 ""He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."'"

Rev 2:17 ""He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'"

Rev 2:26 ""And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations;"

Rev 3:5 ""He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."

Rev 3:12 ""He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name."

Rev 3:21 ""To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

Rev 5:5 "But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.""

Rev 6:2 "And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer."

Rev 11:7 "When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them."

Rev 12:11 ""And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Rev 13:7 "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation."

Rev 15:2 "And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God."

Rev 17:14 ""These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.""

Rev 21:7 ""He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son."

c. The reasons they are victors

(1) They are Strong—“are” is present tense
(2) The Word of God Abides in them—“abides” is present tense.

3. Fathers—“…I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning…14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning…”

a. Again, they have all that is given in the first two groups

b. Maturity comes to its ultimate by really coming to know God as He is

c. Have known—perfect tense

d. From the beginning—they know God as the Eternal One, as the Creator—people who are mature Christians know about God and they know God! God is very big to them!