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I think God likes poetry. I've never really got it but the Bible uses it, so we ought to learn from it. Here's a little poem John wrote to explain why he wrote his first letter:

'I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
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.' (1 John 2:12-14)

We're going to look at the three groups John is addressing here: children, young men, and fathers. Now, there are different opinions on exactly who these refer to, but we can all learn from all of them. If you're a lady then please don't feel like this wasn't written for you! The Ancient Greek words for 'fathers' and 'young men' can also mean 'parents and 'young people' so there's no hint that this is for men only.

Children

John liked to refer to all Christians as 'children' so don't think you're above what he says here! His reasons for writing to the children are (1) because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake, and (2) because you know the Father. If you think about it, these are simply two of the symptoms of Christianity - our sins are forgiven, and we are reconciled to the Father. Now, bear with me for a moment. John wrote his gospel so that people would become Christians (see John 20:31), but this is different. John is writing this letter because his readers are Christians. This says something significant: Christian learning and growing in maturity doesn't stop when you become a Christian, that's simply the beginning of the road. John's desire is that people would become Christians, but now because they have become Christians, he has a need to write more letters! So, if you're a Christian, never stop listening to Bible teachers. Never stop reading. Never stop growing.

Fathers

All the commentators I could find said that John's word 'fathers' refers to spiritual leaders, and it's interesting what he says. John's writing to fathers because you know him who is from the beginning. In fact, you know him so well that John says it twice. Knowing where John has come from in his opening passages in this letter and his gospel, we can see what he's thinking of - Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the one God who created the universe in the beginning. This knowledge is bigger than man can comprehend, but John underlines here that if you're a leader, you must have an understanding of Jesus' role as Creator and God. What this says to me is that leaders must be strong in their faith. If you're a leader, you must know him who is from the beginning. You can't just know Jesus as a good moral teacher, or as the man on a cross, or as our risen Saviour - you must know him as the God who created the universe, gave the ten commandments, split the Red Sea, and spoke through the Old Testament prophets. I think that when God breathed these words through John, he knew that there would be weird branches of Christianity that would distort Jesus' manhood and deity. We must stand firm in the faith as expressed by John.

Young men

Finally, young men seems to refer to spiritually younger Christians, so this suggests that these areas he highlights are dangerous traps. John's writing his letters to young men because (1) you have overcome the evil one, (2) you are strong, (3) the Word of God abides in you, and (4) you have overcome the evil one (note that one's done twice, it's very important). We'll start with 2 and go through to 4,1 together.

You are strong

As a new Christian, it's important to understand that you are strong. Not in yourself, but in Christ. It's slightly out of context, but Philippians 4:13 says 'I can do all things through him who strengthens me.' The key part in that verse is not 'I can do all things', but the fact that it's Christ 'who strengthens me'. John's giving an encouragement here: you are strong in Christ - trust in him alone!

The Word of God abides in you

We know already that 'the Word' for John is Jesus (see John 1) - while soaking yourself in the Bible is very important, it's Christ who lives in you, and that's where John's head is. Jesus is alive within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think that this is an encouragement, again, for us not to lean on our own strength, but rather know that it's Jesus' life in us that enables us to live! I think the last line of a great song sums it up: Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

You have overcome the evil one

Now this one's the most important. It's abundantly clear that John's not literally saying that we've overcome the evil one, because that work was completed by Christ on the cross, but what he is saying is that we can now live in freedom, knowing that the evil one has been overcome. I think Paul says it well: 'For freedom Christ has set us free' - the evil one has no power over us any more, we are completely free! However, we must still be careful as Paul goes on to say: 'Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.' (Galatians 5:1)

So, young men. The message is simple for you. John is writing you a letter because the evil one has been overcome, and you are free. He's writing you a letter because it's easy to slip, and we need to be reminded that we are strong thanks to Jesus' life within us. This is a message we must all respond to.

"Point of Reference" from Fred Price

Counting the Cost and Bearing the Cross