In verse 14 John continues, “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 evil one.” Although the Greek word rendered “have written” is aorist, it does not indicate that any previous epistle was written by the apostle to the recipients. It means that he repeats what he has written to them in the preceding verse to strengthen and develop what he has said. By repeating certain matters, John confirms what he has already written.
In verse 14 John again refers to the fathers as knowing Him who is from the beginning. Because the fathers are full of experience, there is no further advancement.
Concerning the young men, in verse 14 John not only says that they have overcome the evil one, but also says that they are strong and that the word of God abides in them. This word, ending with “abides in you,” strengthens the word “you have overcome,” which was written in the previous verse to the young men. Many among us are strong young men who have overcome the evil one and who have the word of God abiding in them. Through the word of God that abides in them, they are strengthened, nourished, sustained, and invigorated.
We have seen that in verse 13 John addresses the fathers, the young men, and the young children, and that in verse 14 he again addresses the fathers and the young men. Where is John’s second address to the young children? It is in verse 18: “Young children, it is the last hour, and even as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come; whereby we know that it is the last hour.” Here “young children” refers to the young children in verse 13 as the third class of recipients. In the verses that follow John goes on to speak to the young children concerning the anointing.
We have seen that in 2:12-27 John writes concerning the Divine Trinity according to the believers’ growth in life. First, he addresses all the believers as his little children, those whose sins have been forgiven because of the Lord’s name. Then John goes on to speak to the fathers, those believers who are mature in the divine life. Through the divine anointing, these believers have known Him who is from the beginning, that is, the eternal, preexisting Christ who is the Word from the beginning. The young men are the believers who are grown up in the divine life. Through the divine anointing, they have overcome the evil one. Furthermore, they are strong and the word of God abides in them. Another characteristic of the young men is that they do not love the world. The young children are the believers who have just received the divine life. Through the divine anointing, they have known the Father. They have also heard that antichrist is coming. But they have an anointing from the Holy One and they know all things.
The fathers, young men, and young children have different degrees of the growth in life. John’s classification of the believers is according to their spiritual age, not according to any other criterion. Some are fathers, and others are young men or young children. The use of these terms indicates strongly that these verses in particular were written by the apostle John based upon the growth in life.
The fact that John’s writing is based on the believers’ growth in life should cause us to realize that if we would understand the Trinity, especially as the Divine Trinity is covered in this portion, we must be in the process of the growth in life. This means that we must be in the line of life. If we are not in the line of life pursuing the growth in life, we shall not be able to understand anything concerning the Divine Trinity.
When the Triune God as revealed in this portion is ministered to believers who are not growing in life, they do not have any understanding or appreciation of what they hear. But when this is ministered to the seeking ones who are growing in life, they can understand what is ministered and are helped by it. They appreciate the “music” that is “played” concerning the Triune God. They are very responsive when we speak concerning the all-inclusive, compound, life-giving Spirit, who is the processed Triune God. However, those Christians who are not in the line of life and who are not growing in life may wonder what we mean by such terms as all-inclusive, compound, life-giving, and processed. Praise the Lord that we have the all-inclusive, compound, life-giving Spirit, who is the processed Triune God, living, moving, and working within us! When we hear the heavenly melody regarding this wonderful Triune God, we rejoice, and we are very happy in the Lord.