The apostle has spoken of the eternal life manifested in perfection in Christ; he has also brought before us the two great characteristics that will mark those who possess the life as they pass through this world—obedience and love. In the portion of the Epistle that follows, the apostle shows that, while all believers possess the life, yet there is growth in divine life.
He views believers as forming the family of God, and he uses the relationships of the ordinary life—fathers, young men and babes—to set forth different stages of spiritual growth in the apprehension of the truth and in Christian experience. He does not use these terms to set forth stages in the natural life, but, rather, distinctions in spiritual growth. A person converted at an advanced age would be spiritually but a babe, whereas a believer comparatively young in years might, by spiritual progress, become a father. The apostle sets forth, moreover, the special snares to which believers are exposed at different stages of growth.
(Vs. 12). Before speaking of the different stages of spiritual growth, the apostle refers to the blessing that is true of the whole family of God. He addresses all believers as "children"; this is a term of endearment. He then states that forgiveness of sins is the great blessing that marks every member of the family of God. Apart from this blessing they would not belong to this family. The apostle does not write to sinners in order that they may be forgiven, but to believers because they are forgiven. Moreover, as he is going to speak of experiences and spiritual progress, he reminds believers that they are forgiven “for His Name's sake”. As believers, he reminds us that we are not forgiven because of anything that we are, or because of any experience however real—that would be for our sakes. We are forgiven because of what God has found in Christ and His work—"for His Name's sake". The Lord Himself had instructed His disciples "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations" (Luke 24:4747And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)).
(Vs. 13). Having stated what is common to the whole family of God, the apostle sets forth three stages of spiritual growth under the terms fathers, young men and babes. He does not write to "old men", young men and babes. Old men would hardly be an apt figure to set forth the highest stage of spiritual growth, for the term implies feebleness and decay. He uses the term "fathers", which suggests ripeness and maturity of experience.
The outstanding characteristics of each class are first stated: the fathers have known Christ that is from the beginning; the young men are characterized by having overcome the wicked one; the babes have known the Father.
In the course of natural growth we may in large measure lose the characteristics of an earlier stage of growth. It is not so in spiritual growth. The young men do not cease to know the Father because they have learned to overcome the wicked one; the fathers do not cease to overcome the wicked one because they have learned to know Him that is from the beginning.
In writing to each class the apostle uses the words "because ye have", showing there was a point of sympathy between himself and each class. It was practically saying, I write unto you because you are enjoying what I am enjoying. The three stages cover the whole ground of practical Christianity. The one possessing all these characteristics would be a fully developed Christian.
(Vs. 14). Fathers. Having given us the outstanding characteristics of each stage of Christian growth, the apostle again refers to each class, presenting in the case of the young men and the babes their special dangers. Of the fathers he has nothing fresh to add; he repeats, "Ye have known Him that is from the beginning." The question may arise, "Do not the young men and the babes know Christ?" Surely they know Christ as their Savior, but to know Christ as the One who is from the beginning implies that we not only know Christ as saving us from our sins and judgment, but that we have so advanced in the spiritual life that we have discerned in Christ the One who is the beginning of an entirely new world of blessing, according to the counsels of the Father's heart. "From the beginning" has the force of "from the outset". To know Him that is from the beginning is to realize that, with the coming of Christ, there is the beginning of an entirely new creation in which the former things will forever have passed away. Those who know Christ thus will have no further hope of reforming man or of improving the world. They will look beyond this world and have their minds set on things above. All their hopes will be centered in Christ. They have reached a stage of growth in which Christ is everything and in all.
(Vs. 14). Young men. The babes are marked by confidence in the Father's love. The young men do not lose this confidence, but, in addition, they are marked by spiritual strength to overcome in conflict. In the natural life the young men have to face the world and fight the battle of life. Likewise, in the spiritual life, the young men are those believers who are marked by that spiritual vigor which enables them to overcome the wicked one.
The source of their strength in overcoming is the word of God. They overcome the enemy, not by human reason or natural ability, nor by the wisdom of the schools, but by the word of God, and, further, by the word of God abiding in them. It is not simply that they grasp the meaning of the word of God, or that they have stored it in their memory, but that it forms their thoughts, holds their affections and governs their actions. For such, the word is not something that can be lightly held, or lightly given up, under the influence of a teacher. It has an abiding place in the heart as being God's word, and therefore held in faith in God. One has said, "The real secret of being able to use the Word of God against the devil is that the Word of God is keeping your own soul."
If the word of God abides in us, it will become our guide in every circumstance and our defense in every conflict. Some have looked at conscience as a guide, and thus with the greatest sincerity have been driven into the most unchristian acts, even to persecuting the saints of God, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus. Strictly, conscience is not a guide but a witness. It bears witness according to the light we have. The true light and guide is the Word of God, and, if we have that light, conscience will bear witness as to whether our walk is according to the light. Thus the Word of God becomes the test for everything. At times we may test things by their apparent usefulness or apparent success. We shall only discover the true character of anything as we submit it to the test of God's Word. To submit to the test of the Word is really to be subject to God, and against a subject person the devil has no power. We thus overcome the wicked one.
We have the most perfect example of this overcoming in our Lord. The devil sought to move Him from the place of dependence upon God, devotedness to God, and confidence in God. In every case the Lord overcame, not by using His Godhead power, but, as the perfect, dependent Man, by using the Word of God. In each temptation the Lord overcame by saying, "It is written". Moreover, the word He used was the word He kept. It is useless to attempt to meet the devil's temptations with a word that we ourselves are not obeying. If our thoughts and words and ways are governed by the Word, we can use it effectually against the devil and overcome.
(Vs. 15). The young men may come into conflict with the devil and into contact with the world. As the flesh is still in us, the world is a very real danger. We are sent into the world as witnesses for Christ, but we are not of the world. We are therefore warned not to love the world, nor the things in the world. Further, we are reminded that, "If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." We may, alas, be tempted by it, or in an unguarded moment be overcome by it, but the testing question is, Do we love it? A solemn word for all who profess to be of the family of God and yet appear to be more at home in the company of the world than amongst the people of God.
(Vs. 16). The apostle leaves us in no doubt as to the character of the world of which he speaks. He does not refer to the physical world of nature, but to that great system built up by fallen man, which is marked by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
It has been noticed that these three principles came in with the fall of man. The devil tempted Eve with the question, "Yea, hath God said?" Had the word of God been abiding in her heart, she could have used it to overcome the devil. Alas! it did not govern her thoughts, so, when quoting it (or misquoting it), she was not only powerless to overcome, but she fell into the snare of world principles. She "saw that the tree was good for food", and thus was carried away by the lust of the flesh. Moreover, she saw that "it was pleasant to the eyes", and was thus attracted by the lust of the eyes. Lastly, she saw that it was "a tree to be desired to make one wise", and the pride of life that craves for knowledge was awakened. Being carried away by the principles of the world, Adam disobeyed God and was driven from the garden. The world, then, is a vast system organized by fallen man in order to indulge the different lusts of the flesh, to gratify the eye, and to minister to the various forms of pride.
In this world there is nothing that is of the Father, and there is no love for the Father. To the believer, the Father has opened another world which is marked, not by lust that seeks its own gratification, but by love that seeks the good of its object. It is not a world that seeks to gratify the sight, but where Christ is the all-satisfying Object—"We see Jesus." It is not a world marked by the pride that boasts in its own wisdom, but it is one that is characterized by the lowliness that delights to sit as a learner at the feet of Jesus.
(Vs. 17). Moreover, man's world is passing. However fair on occasions its outward show may be, it is dominated by sin, and over all is the shadow of death. Already we have heard that the darkness, or ignorance of God, is passing; now we learn that the world that abides in darkness is also passing. In contrast with the passing world, those that do the will of God abide forever; they belong to a world on which no shadow of death will ever fall.
The Babes. We have learned from verse 13 that the first characteristic of the babes is that they "have known the Father." As they make spiritual progress they will be drawn into spiritual conflict. They will become young men and fight the good fight of faith. They will go forth to do battle for the Lord, but they start in the home circle. In that blessed circle of love, they may know little of the power of the enemy and the conflict that lies before them, but they learn the love of the Father's heart and the support of the Father's hand. It is not only that they know that they are children, and that God is their Father, but they know the Father with whom they are in relationship. They may know little of the depths of Satan, or the snares of the world, or the evil of their own hearts, but they know the heart of the Father. Once they knew nothing of the Father's heart and cared nothing for the Savior's will, but as sinners they were brought to the Savior and, through faith in Christ Jesus, they passed into the family of God, as we read, "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)). The Holy Spirit was given to them, the love of God was shed abroad in their hearts, and now they can look up and say, "Abba, Father". They realize that the Father loves them with a love that never wearies and a care that never ceases.
(Vs. 18). By their inexperience the babes are more particularly in danger of being deceived. Thus the apostle warns them against antichristian seducers. We are told that it is "the last hour". As nineteen centuries have passed since these words were written, we may conclude that the apostle does not refer to the last hour as to time, but rather the last hour as to character. We know that the last hour before the judgment falls upon an apostate Christendom will be characterized by the appearance of the Antichrist. But antichristian teachers had already appeared in the days of the apostle, "whence we know that it is the last hour."
(Vs. 19). These antichristian teachers would be a special snare to believers, inasmuch as they would arise in the Christian circle and then give up the Christian profession.
(Vs. 20). To enable believers to escape all antichristian teaching, we are first reminded that we have the Holy Spirit—the Unction—and thus are able to judge of all things. In ourselves we know nothing, but having the Spirit we have the capacity for knowing all things.
(Vs. 21). Secondly, we have "the truth". The Spirit does not enlighten us by any inner imagination; He uses "the truth", and thus enables us to detect error. We do not detect the lie by occupation with evil but by knowing the truth. Our business is to be simple concerning evil and wise as to good.
(Vss. 22-23). Thirdly, having the Spirit and the truth, we at once learn that the Person of Christ is the great test of every antichristian system. We may be deceived if we judge them by the Christian terms they may use and the practice they may pursue. The real test is, How do they stand in relation to the truth as to the Person of Christ? It will be found that every false system denies in some form the truth of His Person. There are, however, two main forms of error and opposition to the truth. One form of error, mainly found among the Jews, denies that Jesus is the Christ—the Messiah that is to come. The other form of error, arising in the Christian profession, denies the truth of the Father and the Son. When the Antichrist appears he will unite the lie of the Jews with the lie that arises in the Christian profession, denying both that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is a divine Person. Today, every false system that has arisen in Christendom stands condemned by the denial of the truth of the Person of Christ as the Son, and denial of the truth of the Son will lead to the denial of the truth as to the Father.
(Vs. 24). Our safeguard against every error as to the Person of Christ is found in abiding in that which we have heard from the beginning. The Jews could say to Jesus, "who art Thou?" The Lord replied, "Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning" (John 8:2525Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. (John 8:25)). A more accurate translation of these words is, "Altogether that which I also say to you" (N. Tn.). His words were the perfect expression of Himself. Alas! we may use words to hide what we are: He used words to express perfectly what He was. We have heard His voice and we know the truth as to Himself. We may have much to learn of the glories of His Person, but we know who He is. Any pretense of modernism, or any other false system, to give us further truth as to His Person is a denial that the full truth came out at the beginning. If that which we have heard from the beginning abides in us—if it governs our affections—we shall abide in the truth of the Son and of the Father. The sheep know His voice and are thus able to detect the many false voices of the strangers, as we read, "A stranger will they not follow... for they know not the voice of strangers."
(Vs. 25). Fourthly, we have eternal life according to promise. This life puts us in relation with divine Persons. The Lord's words are, "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)).
It is evident, then, that these antichristian teachers stand exposed as not being of us—the Christian company (verse 19); they have not the Spirit (verse 20); they know not the truth (verse 21); they deny the Father and the Son (verse 22); they have not continued in that which was from the beginning (verse 24); and they do not possess eternal life (verse 25).
The babes in Christ can escape their evil teaching by having the Spirit, the truth, the knowledge of the Father and the Son, abiding in that which they have heard from the beginning in Christ, and by living the eternal life through which they can enjoy fellowship with divine Persons.
(Vss. 26-27). These, then, are the things that the apostle writes to expose those who would lead us astray, and to warn us against them. Moreover, we have not only the written word, but also the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand the word and to test the teachings of men. Teachers may pass away, but the Holy Spirit abides. The teaching of the best of teachers may be partial, but the Holy Spirit can teach us "as to all things" (N. T n.). The teaching of the best of teachers may be at times mixed with defect, but the teaching of the Holy Spirit "is truth" and in it there "is no lie." The aim of all false teachers is to seduce the saints to give up the truth; the effect of the teaching of the Holy Spirit is to lead the saints to abide in the truth as set forth in Christ from the beginning.