For His Name's Sake (1 Jn 2:12-14)

Big Idea: We have been forgiven for the sake of Christ’s good name so that we might know God and overcome the evil one by the strength which God provides and Word which now lives in our hearts.

1 John 2:12–14 ESV

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

I. Our sins have been forgiven on account of Christ’s righteousness.

a. Unio Christi

b. How is righteousness imputed?

c. How can Jesus represent us before the Father?

II. We know God because we know Jesus Christ.

a. In Christ, the wall of separation between ourselves and God has been removed. The noetic effects of sin (how sin impacts our thinking and knowledge) have been healed by Christ through His Incarnation and His Word revealed in Scripture. (while we are still hindered by the presence of sin, we are no longer under its dominion. While we may for a time be given over to its influence, we will never be separated from God by sin in the way we were before.) The guilt we feel at our sin is the discipline of the Lord as our gracious Father who causes us to turn from our sin and back to Him so that he might show us grace and favor because of the Lord.

Does this then give us carte blanche to sin as we like? Not at all! As the Apostle Paul wrote: “We have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?”

III. Because the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the Evil One, so too have we.

Jesus’ victory over the evil one makes it possible for us to overcome him in our daily lives. He is our accuser, but Christ’s blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

IV. Through our faith in Christ we have fellowship with the Father.

V. Our strength is found in the Holy Spirit and Word which live in us.