The First Letter of JohnSample

Infants, Little Children, Young Men, Fathers

In these verses, we find four different age groups that John is using as a metaphor for the four stages of Christian maturity:

The first, in verse 12, is little children, which may be better translated as “infant” or “newborn”. This stage is where we fully understand that God has forgiven our sins.

We then go on to the second stage, in verse 13, which is also little children, but this time, John uses a different Greek word which means a small child old enough to walk and talk. This is the stage where we start knowing God more.

The third stage is young men, who are strong and mature enough to have battled and overcome the darkness in their lives.

The final stage is that of fathers. They are those who know God intimately and have known Him through many battles and many victories.

Devotional Question:

In what stage of Christian maturity am I when it comes to:

1. My intimacy with God?

2. My family?

3. My vocation?

4. My world?