Growing

I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.
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 wicked one. – 1 John 2.12-14

I am reading at book at the moment by two Christian writers about how people grow. It is aimed at what we need to grow into the kind of person God once us to be. I am reminded as I read it about the fact that all of us are at different stages of spiritual growth. That fact is nothing new. John wrote in this section to those in different stages of growth.

John wrote here about what, is seems like, are three generation. He wrote to fathers, young men, and little children.

To the little children God says ‘your sins are forgiven, you have known the Father.’
To the young men – ‘you have overcome the wicked one, you are strong, the word of God lives in you.’
To the fathers He says ‘you have known Him who was from the beginning.’

I think we see something here. Those who are young in the Lord, little children, know they are forgiven and they know God is their Father. That’s a pretty good basis.

Young men, the next generation up, are in the battle because they are strong, God’s word lives in them, and they have overcome the wicked one. They are in their prime and are seeing God do  great things.

And there are the fathers. The older guys. Guys like me. We are supposed to ‘know Him who was from the beginning. I think that by now we are supposed to know than God just as our Father. We are supposed to know more than just that our sins our forgiven. Because we have hopefully overcome the wicked one and developed strength and have the word of God living in us we are supposed to know God in a deeper way, as the one who was from the beginning and will carry us on into eternity.

Can we see the growth in our lives as we draw closer to God? Do we know Him better and better and better?