Each week throughout 2021, I will share a Bible study blog post taking us through the letter of 1 John. Only five chapters long, this brief book is worthy of our consideration. Whether you drop in for one post or many, I pray that you enjoy them. Access all posts here.
2:13 I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
2:14 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.
Young Men
Here, after our previous study of the children and fathers, we have the young men. They represent that great middle section of the Christian life. The children enjoy being forgiven. The fathers have enjoyed Christ. And the young men enjoy victory, for they are the ones sent into battle.
And we must remember this portion of the Christian life. It is important for us to recall our forgiveness and the access to our Father God it creates. It is important for us to watch Jesus work through our lives and rejoice in His power. But it is also important for us to engage in Christ's war, for there is work to do in God's kingdom. In God's program on earth, there is always a job for you.
And, twice, John mentions that the young men had overcome the evil one. They had been victorious over the prince of this age, the devil. They had struggled and battled and finally prevailed. They had vanquished the foe.
Wouldn't all of us desire to have this kind of victory? Don't we crave victory over our sinful desires and passions? Don't we want to impact the world for God's kingdom? Don't we want to break the habits and traditions of our parents and friends? Don't we want to be set free?
You Are Strong, and the Word of God Abides in You
John tells us a bit of how their victory came about. They were strong. We might have guessed as much. They won, after all. But then John adds, and the word of God abides in you. This helps us understand their strength. It came from the effective and interactive influence of the word of God upon them.
I recently spoke with a friend who told me about an awesome, if not awkward, interaction he had with another man. While he was out and about, he spotted a guy with massive biceps. My friend was in awe. He's the kind of guy who says what he's thinking and feeling, so he blurted out, "How did you do that?!?!" while poking this complete stranger's arm. The man proceeded to tell my friend about his workout and nutrition plan.
But notice the question: "How did you do that?" The implication is that strength doesn't just show up; it must be developed. Here, John tells us these young men were made strong as the word of God abided in them. God's word shaped them. It made them strong.
This is an appropriate conclusion to John's song. The children knew the Father. The fathers knew Jesus Christ. You would expect John to say the young men knew the Spirit. Instead, he says they were strong because the word was in them. But isn't this another way of saying the Spirit helped them?
Paul spoke of:
"...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God..." (Ephesians 6:17).
In a way, the Word abiding in you is the Spirit's way of building you up. We see an example of this in the life of Joshua. He was the man who assumed leadership of Israel after Moses. Moses had done an amazing job; those were tough sandals to fill. And after Moses died, but before Israel went into the Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, God spoke to His new leader. Perhaps you've heard the three-fold exhortation before:
"Be strong and courageous..." (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9)
But Joshua's courage would flow from his continuation in the word of God. Notice:
"Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:7–8).
As long as Joshua didn't deviate from God's word, he would have good success, which should've given him every reason to operate in courage and boldness. And the active, young men of today's church, people of all ages and both genders who are engaging in the war of the kingdom, receive the strength they need by the Spirit with the word of God.
Like we read last week:
"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7).
That's strength! When your mind, heart, soul, and will are so in line with God's word that you're every request is His purpose and will, so God moves on your behalf. Amazing.
Should Such a Man As I?
Remember Nehemiah. He was bold because he knew who he was. Do you? Do you know you are made strong by the truth of God's word? Do you know spiritual power increases along with God's word in you? If so,
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." (Colossians 3:16).
I have watched this very thing unfold in the life of another friend of mine (not the biceps guy). He became a Christian only a couple of years ago, but his life has taken off. He has reordered his friendships, his family, his marriage, and his priorities in a brief amount of time. He is a completely new man. He's not who he used to be. He's been rocked to the core.
And what shaped him so drastically and radically and rapidly? The word. I've watched him devour the Bible for himself. It seems he's consumed every hour of Bible teaching I've recorded and had read nearly everything I've written. He listens to Bible teaching and gets into the word for himself. And all of it has rewired his mind. He is a completely different guy. He's humble, and he still thinks he doesn't know the word very well, but I assure you, he does. He's been made strong by the word of God abiding in him.
So there we have it. We are forgiven and know the Father. We have known Jesus. And we are victorious by the strength the word gives us. Let us remember who we are. If we don't, we might run away. If we don't, we might act the fool. But if we do, we'll stand strong, like Nehemiah. And, given all we are in Christ, why should we run?
