I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 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. 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 2: 12-14, NKJV.
Dear God, please help us to be as patient with others as You are with us. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
According to the marginal reading in the NKJV Study Bible, “These three classifications are not physical age groups or spiritual stages. Rather it seems that each group is a reference to all of John’s readers” (p. 2007). My perceptions are somewhat different. I believe that each group comprises a part of the whole, of John’s readers. I also see these groupings as stages in the Christian experience. It is true that symbolically, there are children, young men, and fathers, in the church in which John’s letters are being read, who have these different characteristics. But I also believe that there are individuals in these three groups who are adding experience to experience. Let me explain:
“I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” One of the first steps in the life of any Christian, when they first come to the Lord, is that of experiencing forgiveness. Yes, forgiveness is an experience, not just an act. We come to God as little children and we receive His forgiveness, which empowers us. A second reason for writing to the “little children” is because they “have known the Father.” Experiencing forgiveness brings many people to a saving knowledge of “the Father.” They begin to see Him, not as a punitive, vindictive, God, but as a loving, compassionate, merciful, Father, as revealed in the life of Jesus Christ His Son! This revelation of God’s love, which oftentimes comes to us through the act of forgiveness, strengthens us physically, as well as spiritually, which leads us to the second stage in our Christian experience:
“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.” Remember the paralytic who had been let down through the roof by his friends? When Jesus told him that his sins had been forgiven, and that he should take up his bed and walk – he did! He went from being carried by his friends, to having strength sufficient, to walk out of the house carrying his bed with him (See Mark 2: 12)! Forgiveness produces an inward strength that sometimes manifests itself outwardly. These young [people] also have the word of God abiding in them. For the Word of God to abide in us we must dedicate time to its study. As we continue to study, our strength increases, and we become over-comers! Stage is being added to stage.
“I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning.” What is peculiar about writing to the fathers, is that in both instances, the reason for writing is the same – nothing changes: “because you have known Him who is from the beginning.” This has led me to the conclusion that at this stage in the Christian experience, there is a certain sense of maturity acquired. Not stagnancy, but stability!
Now, why have I given this devotional the title, “God’s Garden[?]” Because the church is like a garden. John’s readers were at different stages in their Christian experience at different times in their lives. All of them did not experience the same growth rate. There were children who had experienced forgiveness. There were children who had known the Father. There were young [people] who had overcome the wicked one. And there were young [people] who were strong, had the word abiding in them, and had also overcome the wicked one. Then there were the fathers who had “known Him who was from the beginning.”
There were different categories of little children; different categories of young [people]; and one category of fathers. Why do I find this important? Because it tells me that we are all unique in our Christian experience, even when we have some things in common, and that God loves us all, and is still working with each of us, to help us to add stage to stage in our Christian growth. I believe that the one category of fathers,is a subtle suggestion, that by God’s grace, if we persevere, we all can grow up in Christ Jesus. May God help us to allow the Heavenly Gardener to water us, prune us, and fertilize us, until He is satisfied with the results!