1 John 2:14

2:12-14 As Christians have their peculiar states, so they have peculiar duties; but there are precepts and obedience common to all, particularly mutual love, and contempt of the world. The youngest sincere disciple is pardoned: the communion of saints is attended with the forgiveness of sins. Those of the longest standing in Christ's school need further advice and instruction. Even fathers must be written unto, and preached unto; none are too old to learn. But especially young men in Christ Jesus, though they are arrived at strength of spirit and sound sense, and have successfully resisted first trials and temptations, breaking off bad habits and connexions, and entered in at the strait gate of true conversion. The different descriptions of Christians are again addressed. Children in Christ know that God is their Father; it is wisdom. Those advanced believers, who know Him that was from the beginning, before this world was made, may well be led thereby to give up this world. It will be the glory of young persons to be strong in Christ, and his grace. By the word of God they overcome the wicked one.

{13} I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. (13) He adds afterward in like order, as many exhortations: as if he should say, Remember, you Fathers, as I wrote even now, that the everlasting Son of God is revealed to us. Remember you young men, that that strength by which I said that you put Satan to flight, is given to you by the word of God which dwells in you.

1 John 2:14 . The Apostle gives the same reason as before for writing to the fathers, as though there could be none greater. He gives the same reason also for writing to the young men, but he amplifies it: they have the strength of youth, but it is disciplined by the indwelling Word, and therefore they have conquered.

To the former sort he only repeateth what he had said before, supposing their greater wisdom to need no more; (see L. Brugens. Not. in Bibl. Sacr. of the insertion of this clause); only the repetition importeth his earnest desire they would again and again consider it. The other he also puts in mind of their active strength and vigour, and of the rootedness which the gospel must now be supposed to have in them, whereby they were enabled to overcome the wicked one. And by all which endowments they were all both enabled and obliged to comport the better with the following precept, and its enforcements.

1 John 2:14 . I have written, &c. — He repeats almost the same words, in order that they might the more regard them. As if he had said, Observe well what I now write. He speaks very briefly and modestly to those who needed not much to be said to them, as having that deep acquaintance with God, which comprises all necessary knowledge; young men, ye are strong — In God and his grace, Ephesians 6:10 ; in faith, hope, love, and in prayer; and the word of God abideth in you — Deeply rooted in your hearts, whereby you have often foiled your great adversary. Macknight thus paraphrases the verse: “Old Christians, I have written to you to walk even as Christ walked, ( 1 John 2:6 ,) by loving your brethren as he loved you, 1 John 2:8 ; because ye have known him from the beginning, and have been deeply affected with the knowledge of his love. Vigorous Christians, I have written the same precept to you, ( 1 John 2:8 ,) because ye are strong in all the Christian virtues, through the word of God abiding in you, and ye have already overcome the devil.”

Him that is from the beginning The eternal, pre-existent Christ, who was from the beginning (John 1:1). The eternal Son, through whom men are brought into the relation of children of God, and learn to know the Father The knowledge of God involves, on the part of both fathers and children, the knowledge of Christ. Strong (ἰσχυροί) See on was not able, Luke 14:30; see on I cannot, Luke 16:3.

1 John 2:14 . Ἔγραψα , I have written ) In 1 John 2:13-14 , he passes from I write to I have written : and not without reason. For by transposing the verb of writing from the present to the past, he suggests a most strong admonition.— ὅτι ) because .— ἐγνώκατε τὸν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς , ye have known Him who is from the beginning ) He who is from the beginning is Jesus Christ. Ἀρχὴ is not the beginning of the Gospel, but the beginning of all things: ch. 1 John 1:1 , note. Artemon objects, that God the Father might also be thus spoken of: Part ii. c. 13. I reply, Why not? But the figure Antonomasia is frequently employed by John, when he speaks of Christ. Comp. 1 John 2:20 . The fathers , as well as the apostle, were already alive at that time, in which Jesus Christ had been conspicuous on earth: and some of them, as it is probable, had known Him both in person and by faith. Comp. ch. 1 John 3:6 , note; 1 Corinthians 15:6 ; Matthew 13:16 . Certainly all had known Him by faith, and had seen that golden age of the Church, to which the age of the younger men, who ought to avoid antichrists, is opposed. John repeats this clause from the preceding verse, without the addition of more words, subjoining to the statement a treatment of the subject equally brief, and using modesty towards the fathers , to whom it was not necessary that many things should be written. The knowledge of even these respecting Christ is very great, comprising all things.

Knowledge is assigned to fathers and children; strength to young men.— ἰσχυροὶ , strong ) Other young men are strong in body; you, in faith.— ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ , the Word of God ) from which is strength: ch. 1 John 4:4 .— ἐν ὑμῖν μένει , abideth in you ) Nor can the Evil One tear it away from you, nor does Antichrist endanger you.— τὸν πονηρὸν , the Evil One ) who especially lies in wait for youth. John appears to refer to a certain remarkable instance of virtue exhibited by the young men to whom he writes. Of this nature was their constancy in confession in the persecution of Domitian; and also the return of that young man , whom the apostle, with the greatest gentleness, led back from robbery to repentance (although the apostle made that expedition not until he had returned from Patmos: comp. 1 John 2:22 , note), as it is most pleasantly described by Clement of Alexandria , in his treatise, What rich man can be saved? ch. 42; by Eusebius , Eccle. Hist., Book iii. 20; and by Chrysostom , in his 1st Exhortation to the fallen Theodore, ch. 11.

Verse 14. - The address to the fathers remains unchanged; their claim to Gospel and to Epistle is the same. The address to the young men is enlarged; their claim to the Gospel is that they are strong to fight, have God's revelation of himself as a permanent possession in their hearts, and have won victories over Satan. The context and John 5:38 and John 10:35 utterly forbid us from understanding ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ of the "living Personal Lord" (cf. John 17:6, 14, 17 ; Revelation 1:9 ; Revelation 6:9 ; Revelation 20:4 ). 1 John 2:14

14. young men … strong—made so out of natural weakness, hence enabled to overcome "the strong man armed" through Him that is "stronger." Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. This term "overcome" is peculiarly John's, adopted from his loved Lord. It occurs sixteen times in the Apocalypse, six times in the First Epistle, only thrice in the rest of the New Testament. In order to overcome the world on the ground, and in the strength, of the blood of the Saviour, we must be willing, like Christ, to part with whatever of the world belongs to us: whence immediately after "ye have overcome the wicked one (the prince of the world)," it is added, "Love not the world, neither the things … in the world." and, &c.—the secret of the young men's strength: the Gospel word, clothed with living power by the Spirit who abideth permanently in them; this is "the sword of the Spirit" wielded in prayerful waiting on God. Contrast the mere physical strength of young men, Isa 40:30, 31. Oral teaching prepared these youths for the profitable use of the word when written. "Antichrist cannot endanger you (1Jo 2:18), nor Satan tear from you the word of God." the wicked one—who, as "prince of this world," enthrals "the world" (1Jo 2:15-17; 5:19, Greek, "the wicked one"), especially the young.

Christ came to destroy this "prince of the world." Believers achieve the first grand conquest over him when they pass from darkness to light, but afterwards they need to maintain a continual keeping of themselves from his assaults, looking to God by whom alone they are kept safe. Bengel thinks John refers specially to the remarkable constancy exhibited by youths in Domitian's persecution. Also to the young man whom John, after his return from Patmos, led with gentle, loving persuasion to repentance. This youth had been commended to the overseers of the Church by John, in one of his tours of superintendency, as a promising disciple; he had been, therefore, carefully watched up to baptism. But afterwards relying too much on baptismal grace, he joined evil associates, and fell from step to step down, till he became a captain of robbers. When John, some years after, revisited that Church and heard of the youth's sad fall, he hastened to the retreat of the robbers, suffered himself to be seized and taken into the captain's presence. The youth, stung by conscience and the remembrance of former years, fled away from the venerable apostle. Full of love the aged father ran after him, called on him to take courage, and announced to him forgiveness of his sins in the name of Christ. The youth was recovered to the paths of Christianity, and was the means of inducing many of his bad associates to repent and believe [Clement of Alexandria, Who Is the Rich Man Who Shall Be Saved?