1 John 2:12

But from the thirteenth to 1 John ii, 13-27 the twenty-seventh verse, he divides them particularly into "fathers," "young men," and "little children." Because your sins are forgiven you - As if he had said, This is the sum of what I have now written. He then proceeds to other things, which are built upon this foundation.

Sins are forgiven either for God's name's sake, for the praise of his glory (his glorious perfections displayed in forgiveness), or for Christ's name's sake, upon his score, and upon the account of the redemption that is in him; and those that are forgiven of God are strongly obliged to relinquish this world, which so interferes with the love of God.

I write unto you, little children,....

There are novices in religion, babes in Christ, those who are learning the rudiments of Christian godliness. The apostle may seem to encourage them by applying to them first; and it may be useful to the greater proficients to hear what is said to their juniors; elements are to be repeated; first principles are the foundation of all.

Two classes, "fathers" and "young men," are addressed with the same words each time (except that the address to the young men has an addition expressing the source and means of their victory); but the "little sons" and "little children" are differently addressed. have known--and do know: so the Greek perfect means.

PROBABLY you ask, "Why does John say, first, 'I write,' and then, in verse 14, 'I have written'?" There is a beautiful touch of nature in this speedy change of tense. John was an extremely old man and, therefore, while he says, "I write," he adds, "I have written," as if he felt that it might be the last time that he should take his pen in hand. Very soon with him, the present tense would change into the past—and he indicates the fact by changing his mode of speech.

PROBABLY you ask, "Why does John say, first, 'I write,' and then, in verse 14, 'I have written'?" There is a beautiful touch of nature in this speedy change of tense. John was an extremely old man and, therefore, while he says, "I write," he adds, "I have written," as if he felt that it might be the last time that he should take his pen in hand. Very soon with him, the present tense would change into the past—and he indicates the fact by changing his mode of speech. Perhaps he even felt that, possibly, before the letter reached the Brethren to whom he addressed it, he would be no more among the sons of men. Therefore he says, "I write," indicating that while he was still with them, with warm and loving heart he solemnly exhorted them. And then he adds, "I have written," as if he had recorded his dying testimony and left it as his last legacy of love. To us, today, John's words run altogether in the past tense—"I have written." But we need not, therefore, forget that they were the well-considered words of a venerated father in Christ and that he wrote them as one so near to his departure that he regarded himself as already on the move and, therefore, scarcely knew which tense to use. Ah, my Brothers and Sisters, how soon our, "I speak," will change into, "I have spoken!" Let this invest every word with solemnity.

I write unto you, little children - Τεκνια· Beloved children, (see on 1Jn 2:1 (note)), those who were probably the apostle’s own converts, and members of the Church over which he presided. But it may be applied to young converts in general; those who can call God Abba, Father, by the Holy Spirit: therefore he says of them, that their sins were forgiven them for his name’s sake: i.e. on account of Jesus, the Savior, who had died for them, and was now their Mediator at the right hand of God.

I write unto you, little children - There has been much difference of opinion among commentators in regard to this verse and the three following verses, on account of their apparent tautology. Even Doddridge supposes that considerable error has here crept into the text, and that a portion of these verses should be omitted in order to avoid the repetition. But there is no authority for omitting any portion of the text, and the passage is very much in accordance with the general style of the apostle John. The author of this Epistle was evidently accustomed to express his thoughts in a great variety of ways, having even the appearance of tautology, that the exact idea might be before his readers, and that his meaning might not be misapprehended. In order to show that the truths which he was uttering in this Epistle pertained to all, and to secure the interest of all in them, he addresses himself to different classes, and says that there were reasons existing in regard to each class why he wrote to them. In the expressions “I write,” and “I have written,” he refers to what is found in the Epistle itself, and the statements in these verses are designed to be “reasons” why he brought these truths before their minds. The word here rendered “little children” (τεκνία teknia) is different from that used in 1Jn 2:13, and rendered there “little children,” (παιδία paidia;) but there can be little doubt that the same class of persons is intended. Some have indeed supposed that by the term “little children” here, as in 1Jn 2:1, the apostle means to address all believers - speaking to them as a father; but it seems more appropriate to suppose that he means in these verses to divide the body of Christians whom he addressed into three classes - children, young men, and the aged, and to state particular reasons why he wrote to each. […]