12 I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 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.
14 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.
See also
v7-8 “I teach no new commandment. On the other hand I’m writing a new commandment”
v5-10 interweaves comments about walking in light and in darkness
Observations
rather than clearly partitioning these things (light/dark, old/new, father/young men/children), John interweaves them
in v8 John uses the image of oscillation in “again” (see entry for that passage) to join these two apparently contradictory concepts
here, he addresses fathers, young men, and children in the faith by the same token or “as part of the same oscillatory motion”
it seems that John is not comparing and contrasting, but emphasizing the interconnectedness of the ideas — they are not distinct, but different facets of the same thing.
Things God Does
and other interpretations
God is the same God for all people, but we sometimes experience different parts of Him
those new in the faith experience His forgiveness
those a few years into their faith experience His sanctification
those aged in their faith have a deep and broad knowledge of God
Application
Respect the experience of other believers.
Learn about God from them.
Appreciate that God interacts with us differently depending on our stage of life
Be comfortable experiencing only part of God for a season — it’s normal
God is too much for a human to experience all of Him in an instant (or even a season).
be content with this
Recognize that there is far more to God than I currently experience