I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.I write unto you, my little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
3 sermons cite this verse
… to experience this. Very quickly, we're out of time. Forgiveness. Listen, we are the forgiven. We are the forgiven. 1 John 2, verse 12. I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. Go again, look at this past tense. Your sins, listen, it doesn't say your sins will be forgiven. It doesn't say that your sins are being forgiven. The Bible says to those who come to Christ, your sins are forgiven. Past tense. All sin. Past, today, future. It's all done with God because he lives in the eternal. I love this. Almost done. We're kept by the power of God. You can stand. We're kept by the power of God. Watch this. Next verse, kept by the power of God. And the Lord said to Peter, you know, Simon Peter, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. Jesus said to Peter, but I've prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. That's always a freaky verse to me. Hey, Peter, guess what? Last night, Satan came and talked to me. And Peter, can you imagine poor Peter? What? Jesus says to him, yeah, Satan was talking to me last night. …
… future in this. Come on, this is not a good decision. This is not where you want to go. 1 John 2, verse 12, I write to you one of his favorite phrases, where he just keeps telling us why he wrote, and he's using this again, but he uses it in a ton of different ways, and that's because he has several different reasons, and he keeps coming back to them again and again and again. And then he uses this phrase, dear little children, or dear children, or loved ones, because your sins are forgiven you for his namesake. 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've written to you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning. I've written to you young men because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the wicked one. …
9. Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance or mistake, or infirmities or temptations. Indeed, it is only another term for holiness. They are two names for the same thing. Thus every one that is perfect is holy, and every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect. Yet we may, lastly, observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, as it is termed; none which does not admit of a continual increase. So that how much soever any man hath attained, or in how high a degree soever he is perfect, he hath still need to “grow in grace,” [2 Pet. 3:18] and daily to advance in the knowledge and love of God his Saviour. [see Phil. 1:9] II. 1. In what sense, then, are Christians perfect? This is what I shall endeavor, in the Second place, to show. But it should be premised, that there are several stages in Christian life, as in natural; some of the children of God being but new-born babes; others having attained to more maturity. And accordingly St. John, in his first Epistle, (1 John 2:12.) applies himself severally to those he terms little children, those he styles young men, and those whom he entitles fathers. “I write unto you, little children,” saith the Apostle, “because your sins are forgiven you:” Because thus far you have attained, — being “justified freely,” you “have peace with God, through Jesus Christ.” [Rom. 5:1] “I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one;” or (as he afterwards addeth,) “because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you.” [1 John 2:13, 14] Ye have quenched the fiery darts of the wicked one, [Eph. 6:16] the doubts and fears wherewith he disturbed your first peace; and the witness of God, that your sins are forgiven, now abideth in your heart. “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.” [1 John 2:13] Ye have known both the Father and the Son and the Spirit of Christ, in your inmost soul. Ye are “perfect men, being grown up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” [Eph. 4:13] …