What does 1 John 2:13 mean?
Verse 13 features three sentences in John's six-sentence poem addressing various audiences. First, John writes to "fathers," and refers to God's eternal existence. These "fathers" are those older, more mature, more experienced believers. They both know Christ as Lord and "know" Him in the deepest sense of having walked with Him long-term, likely for several years.The third phrase of John's poem targets a third audience: "young men," who have "overcome the evil one." These young men are distinct from the "young children"—new believers—of verse 12, but are not yet the "fathers" of the church. These younger warriors for Christ have "overcome," an idea John mentions again in verse 14. This letter also refers to "overcoming" in 1 John 4:4, 5:4, and 5:5. John defines an "overcomer" in 1 John 5:5 with a question: "Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" Every true believer in Christ is an overcomer.
The fourth phrase of the poem begins its second half. In this half, the same groups are mentioned in the same order. First are the "little children," who know God (1 John 2:12).
First John 2:12–14 is a six-line poem where John addresses three different groups of believers. John speaks to new Christians, older Christians, and those in between, in that order. He then talks to each again, in the same order. New Christians are reminded of their forgiveness through Christ, older Christians of their faith in an eternal God, and other of their spiritual strength to overcome “the evil one.”
Chapter 2 explains the fellowship Christians have with God. Christ is our advocate, even when we sin. Christians are not to love things of the world, or to love the world. Instead, we are to live, love, and act like Christ. False teachers, and those who deny Jesus are called ''liars.'' Those who demonstrate a Christ-like behavior are ''born of'' God.
