12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been 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 evil one. 1 John 2:12-14

Where are you on the continuum of life in Christ? Perhaps you are just born, and all that can be said is that you are forgiven. Glory to God. As a child is cared for, with time, the source of sustenance is understood–the father. You know you’re forgiven and you’ve begun to know why. But with this knowledge, it also becomes clear that evil exists, and that it has its designs on destroying the symbiotic relationship forged with the father in childhood. There is some question whether a youth will prevail over evil in the years that precede adulthood, as the full brunt of the strong one must be born, armed only with God’s word, that which is stronger.  Those that employ it faithfully and diligently over time “stand on the devil’s neck” as conquerors, looking back as fathers themselves to their birth, now fully convinced of forgiveness through Jesus Christ and the wisdom and power of God’s book. Like the apostle having experienced the Lord with all his senses, these conquerors know “what was from the beginning,” and their joy has truly been “made complete.”