This week in 1 John we explore the powerful shift in 1 John from spiritual challenge to divine comfort. Discover how forgiveness isn't something we earn but something we already possess through Christ. This message unpacks how God—like a wise parent—knows exactly when to challenge us toward holiness and when to embrace us with unconditional love. Whether you're feeling spiritually mature, brand new to faith, or somewhere in between, you'll find encouragement in the stunning truth that "You don't have to earn what Jesus has already finished." Perfect for anyone wrestling with guilt, performance-based Christianity, or seeking to understand their identity in Christ.
Challenged and Cherished: Living as God's Beloved Children
– 1 John 2:12-14
Big idea: After John’s firm call to “walk in the light,” he pauses to assure God’s children of their unshakable status—forgiven, known, strong, victorious. Law and Gospel meet: we are challenged to holy living yet embraced in unconditional love.
Introduction – Good moms know when to push (challenge potential) and when to pull (affirm love). This tension mirrors God’s care in 1 John.
Review – John’s “Push” Section (1 Jn 1:5-2:6)
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all… If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie…” (1 Jn 1:5-6 NIV)
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” (1 Jn 2:3 NIV)
Pivot – John’s “Pull-in” Assurance (2:12-14)
“I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name...” (NIV, excerpts vv 12-14)
Four Gospel Assurances
Key Themes & Lessons
Application
BBCC Verse of the Week: 1 John 2:13 (NLT) I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
13a, 14a. The fathers, to whom John now addresses himself, are the spiritually adult in the congregation. Their first flush of ecstasy in receiving forgiveness and fellowship with the Father was an experience of long ago. Even the battles of the young men, to which he will next refer, are past. The fathers have progressed into a deep communion with God. Both times he addresses them, John uses identical words: you have known him who is from the beginning. The verb is the same as that used of the little children. All Christians, mature and immature, have come to know (egnōkate) God. But their knowledge of him ripens with the years. The children know him as ‘the Father’ (13c); the fathers have come to know him as him who is from the beginning, which is probably a reference, not to the Logos (though see 1:1; John 1:1), but to the immutable, eternal God who does not change (as humans change) with advancing years, but who is for ever the same. Time hurries on, but in all generations they find a refuge in him who from everlasting to everlasting is God (Ps. 90:1–2; cf. Mal. 3:6). They are already consciously living in eternity. – John Stott
Senior believers are anchors of the faith. John’s reference to “fathers” is not an appeal to give respect to those who are simply older (though such is appropriate). Age does not give a person intrinsic spiritual authority in the church. But John is indicating that senior believers—who often are older but who may not be elderly—provide an unparalleled service: Their faith is anchored “from the beginning.” I noted earlier that “from the beginning” is an important phrase in this letter. It suggests that those whose faith reaches far back, who understand the genesis of Christian belief, who recognize the importance of Jesus’ life and work, and who know the Scriptures after long study—that these women and men are anchors of stability and wisdom… Young believers can be exemplars of the faith. John does not fail to include the contributions of those who are young in the faith. These are believers—sometimes school children, sometimes adults—who have not lost the freshness and vitality of their “first love” for Christ (cf. Rev. 2:4). They are transparent, vocal, and passionate. They are another form of strength for the church. – Gary M. Burge
John says in verse 12 that he is writing because “your sins are forgiven.” Literally in Greek John is saying, “your sins have been forgiven.” This use of the perfect tense conveys the notion that “your sins have been once and for all forgiven and will never be brought up before God again.” This is listed first by John because forgiveness is the fundamental experience of the Christian life and the condition of fellowship with God. Forgiveness of our sins is the one thing we all have in common. Forgiveness of sins is at the very heart of the gospel and hence a centerpiece of apostolic preaching in the book of Acts (for example, Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38: 26:18). John wants to encourage his readers, so he adds a precious phrase: “for his name’s sake.” Their sins were forgiven because of what Jesus had done on the cross. God’s “name” stands for his character. We are forgiven on the basis of who he is and what he has done. Our sins are forgiven, but not for our sake. They are forgiven for Jesus’ sake…This is the concept of forensic forgiveness. Forensic forgiveness simply means that when you trust Christ as your Savior, God, through Christ, forgives you of your sin based on the atonement that Christ made on the cross. We need to make sure we understand the difference between forensic forgiveness and what’s called filial forgiveness. When we sin as a Christian, we break fellowship with God, but we are still in the family. We do not lose our sonship, but we do lose our fellowship with God when we sin. When we practice 1 John 1:9 and confess our sins as Christians, the forgiveness we receive is a filial kind of forgiveness that restores fellowship, but our forensic forgiveness remains intact throughout. When John says, “your sins are forgiven,” he is referring to forensic forgiveness. God has forgiven our sins “for his name’s sake.” This is a familiar refrain in the book of Psalms. Psalm 23:3 says, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Asaph prayed in Psalm 79:9, “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!” My sins are not forgiven for my sake. They are not forgiven for anything I have done or deserved, but because of what Christ has done and earned for me! My contrition, my repentance, my faith could never earn God’s forgiveness. They are the means for receiving that forgiveness, but the forgiveness itself is granted me “for his name’s sake.” God’s forgiveness of our sin must be forever detached from our merit. David L. Allen
For next week – Read 1 John 2:15-17 Pastor Samuel Sutter // sam@BBCCOnline.org
