The apostle says, "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the
beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto
you, little children, because ye have known the Father" (1 John 2:13). It is not a question here of
our actual age and, of course, there is no question of the sexes involved. It is not a question
merely of being a man in Christ as though he is not referring to our sisters at all; but these three
terms, fathers, young men, children, are used to distinguish believers according to the measure
of their growth in grace. Who are fathers? They are those who for years have known the Lord and
walked with God, those who have grown old in the things of Christ. Unto them John says, "I write
unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the beginning." It is quite possible to
have been a Christian many years, and yet not to be in this sense a father. There are many who
have been saved a great many years but are spiritually dwarfed because they give so little attention
to spiritual things, because they give so little time to the Word of God; they are so little exercised
in holy things, and know so little of the blessedness of prayer and communion with the Lord, that
they do not grow. But when the apostle speaks to the fathers, he is speaking to those who through
long years have availed themselves of their Christian privileges, they have learned to love the
Word of God, they have sought to walk with Christ, they have labored for the blessing of others,
and have learned by experience to know the blessed Lord in all His fulness. When John says, "Ye
have known Him that is from the beginning," it is not as though he said, "Ye have known
concerning Him,"or "known about Him," but "ye have known Him." They have lived in
fellowship with Him, they have walked with Him and talked with Him, and He has become dearer
and nearer and more real to them than any earthly friend. He draws very near to His own and
shows His hands and feet and says, "It is I; handle Me, and see." And He bids us remember that
it was for us He bore the wounds and endured the agony of the cross in order that we might
become His own. So, then, the fathers are those who have learned to know Him throughout the
years; they have learned to appreciate His love, and the world has lost its power over their souls
because Christ has filled the vision of the eyes of their hearts….

Beginning with verse 14 John goes on to give a word of encouragement, a word of warning, a
word of exhortation, to each of the classes, so he mentions them all again in order. To the fathers
he says, "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him that is from the
beginning." He does not add anything to that; it is exactly what he said before. Why does he not
add anything? Because you cannot add anything to that. That is the climax of Christian
experience_"Ye have known Him that is from the beginning."

There are not many fathers. People may be very old in Christ and yet not be properly designated
fathers in this sense, for many very old in years are still very carnal in their experience and know
very little of true fellowship with Him. Paul earnestly prayed, "That I may know Him, and the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His
death" (Phil. 3:10). It is this that constitutes one a father in Christ. This is the fullest Christian
maturity, and this comes through a life of fellowship with Him who "is from the beginning."

This expression, "from the beginning," is not the same as, "in the beginning." You and I could
not know Him in the beginning; God the Father alone knew Him in the past eternity. "In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). But
when we say, "from the beginning," that means from the time He became incarnate here on earth.
Now John says, "Ye have known Him that is from the beginning." Sweet to trace His toiling
footsteps as He walks the sands of earth, to see Him in His wonderful perfection down here, God
manifest in the flesh, and to know Him now as the One who passed through death, who was raised
by the glory of the Father, and has ascended to heaven, and sits exalted at God’s right hand, our
great High Priest, our Advocate. Does your soul long to know Him, do you seek to get better
acquainted with Him through the years? There is only one way that you will ever become a father
in Christ. There are a great many people quite clear as to certain great doctrines, very pronounced
as to where they stand on the fundamental and modernistic controversy, and they have very rigid
ideas as to how the people of God should meet together; and yet there is one thing very evident,
they do not know Christ in this intimate relationship that is indicated here.

How do you get to know a person? By living with him day by day. How do you get to know
Christ? By living in intimate fellowship with Him throughout the days and years. You know Him
as you look up to Him through the clouds of sorrow and He ministers so graciously to your heart.
You know Him when in the midst of the joys of life; you put Christ first and find your chief joy
and gladness in Him. To know Him! This is to be a father in Christ. He does not add a thing to
that, not a word of exhortation. Why? Because what could be added? Think of going to one to
whom Christ is everything, and saying, "My brother, let me give you a kindly word of warning,
a word of admonition:try to be very careful that you do not drift off into the ways of the world."
"Oh," he would say, "the world has lost its charm for me since Christ has filled the vision of my
soul." When Christ becomes the one Object of the heart, nothing more can be added to that. That
is what delivers from the power of the world, that is what saves from carnality, that is what keeps
from jealousy and envy and everything else of the flesh. When Christ is all in all these things will
not be.

(From Addresses on the Epistles of John. )