Progressive Sanctification from Children to Fathers (1 John 2:12-14)

Progressive sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus. Justification is the once-for-all-time moment God declares us righteous by faith in Christ. Progressive sanctification begins after justification and continues throughout our Christian lives until we receive glorified bodies. In 1 John 2:12-14 progressive sanctification is divided into three stages: children, young men, and fathers. God’s spiritual family is like human families, with members at different maturity levels. Table of contentsChildren’s Progressive Sanctification Begins with Gospel BasicsChildren’s Progressive Sanctification Begins with Moving from Knowledge to RelationshipGinosko Versus EpistamaiBaby Christians Are Still ChristiansWhat About Unbelievers?A Father’s Progressive Sanctification Comes from the WordA Father’s Progressive Sanctification Comes from TrialsKnowing God Is the Height of Progressive SanctificationWhat Shouldn't We Boast About?One Thing We Can Boast AboutThe Balance with Progressive Sanctification https://youtu.be/uNJ6aP7w2gk Progressive sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus; 1 John 2:12-14 divides it into stages: children, young men, fathers. When we moved to Washington in 2010, Johnny was only a few months old but wasn’t growing. He was classified as “failure to thrive.” It was scary because his skin was hanging from his face and arms, he couldn’t tell us what was wrong, and the doctors couldn’t figure out what to do. I think it was particularly hard on Katie, who tried to nurse him around the clock but couldn’t get him to gain any weight. As concerning as it is when people do not grow physically, it is even more concerning when they do not grow spiritually: Ephesians 4:13 until we all attain…TO MATURE MANHOOD, to the MEASURE OF THE STATURE of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may NO LONGER BE CHILDREN…15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW UP IN EVERY WAY into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes THE BODY GROW SO THAT IT BUILDS ITSELF UP in love. These verses describe progressive sanctification, which is the process of becoming more like Jesus. In 1 John 2:12-14 progressive sanctification is divided into three stages: children, young men, and fathers. God’s spiritual family is like human families, with members at different maturity levels. We will look at children and fathers in this sermon and young men separately. The verses are written uniquely: There are two sets of three addresses. The three addresses are for children, fathers, and young men. In the first set, the address begins with, “I am writing to you,” and in the second set, the address begins with, “I write to you.” The verses are written TO US instead of ABOUT US. In other words, they don’t say, “Children know their sins are forgiven, fathers know him who is from the beginning, and young men have overcome the evil one.” Instead, the verses say, “I am writing to you, or I write you children, young men, fathers.” This makes it personal and shows John’s desire to assure us of these truths. These verses are not about biological children, young men, and fathers. They are about spiritual children, young men, and fathers. Children’s Progressive Sanctification Begins with Gospel Basics 1 John 2:12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake...2:13c I write to you, children, because you know the Father. Because children, or baby Christians, only have a basic understanding of the gospel, these are two wonderful yet simple truths to share with them. First, John assured them their sins were forgiven. Sometimes new believers need to be reassured of this truth. If you’re a new Christian, or you remember being a new Christian, you probably remember being amazed at God’s grace and mercy in forgiving and saving you. When I was Catholic, I thought I was saved by my works, so there wasn’t much amazement. But after hearing the gospel and believing, I was in awe of what God did for me. Children’s Progressive Sanctification Begins with Moving from Knowledge to Relationship Second, John told them God was their Father, which is fitting to say to children because children have a Father. Children, or baby Christians, learn to see God as our caring Father and see ourselves as his dependent children. I’m still learning to apply this truth, so in this way, I’m still a child. "Know" is one of the weaker words in the English language. For example, I say, “I know my wife and kids,” and I say, “I know of Bill Gates.” Obviously, I know my kids much differently than I know Bill Gates, but I use the same word. We distinguish between the two ways of knowing by adding the word “of.” Ginosko Versus Epistamai In Greek, there is one word for “knowing” and another word for “knowing of.” The Greek word epistamai refers to knowing of something or knowing, the way I know Bill Gates. The Greek word ginōskō refers to knowing something through relationship, the way I know my wife and children. I have never played rugby, so I have no experience with it, but I know what it is, so I have an epistamai knowledge. But I wrestled for years, so I have a ginōskō knowledge of wrestling. In Acts 19:13, Paul encountered the Sons of Sceva. They were a group of men who considered themselves exorcists, but they weren’t believers, so they didn’t have any power or authority over demons: Acts 19:13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. A demon they were trying to cast out answered them, and then the man possessed by the demon jumped on them, stripped them of their clothes, and beat them up. When the demon said, “Jesus I know” it used the word ginosko, because before Lucifer’s rebellion this demon would have been in heaven with the other angels worshiping the Lord, or knowing the Lord through a relationship with him. When the demon said, “Paul I know” it used the word epistamai, because it knew of Paul, but never had any relationship with him. We can guess why the demon would have known of Paul: he was a dramatic instrument for the Lord’s Kingdom. He had apostolic authority that allowed him to cast out demons, putting himself on the demonic realm’s radar. But the demon looked at the Sons of Sceva and said, “I have no idea who you guys are. You have no power or authority over me, so I am going to teach you a lesson by ripping off your clothes and beating you up.” The word ginōskō is used in verse 13, where it says, “Children KNOW the father.” It means they have moved from epistamai, a simple knowledge of the father, to ginōskō, a relationship with the Father. We should appreciate these verses are written to “little children.” If they were written to young men or fathers, we would think we had to be mature enough to have our sins forgiven or know the Father. But to say this to little children who have only recently been saved and done nothing for Christ shows that: The youngest Christian is completely forgiven. More forgiveness is not available or needed. The youngest Christian has access to the Father. No further access is available or needed. Baby Christians Are Still Christians We’ve been talking about children, and I referred to them as baby Christians and said they only have a basic knowledge of God. Let’s be honest: this almost sounds insulting. Nobody wants to be told they’re a baby Christian, and nobody wants to be told they don’t know much spiritually. But here’s the truth: Baby Christians are still Christians, which makes them so much greater than unbelievers; they can’t even be compared: one spends eternity in heaven, and the other spends eternity in hell. Matthew 11:11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than [John]. I can’t imagine a much greater commendation than this. Jesus said John was the greatest man born from a woman. But then he still said the least person in the kingdom of God is greater. How can we understand this? John came before Jesus brought the kingdom of God, so even though he was a believer and preached the kingdom of God, he still preceded it and isn’t viewed as part of it. If believers who are part of the kingdom of God by faith in Christ are greater than John the Baptist, a man Jesus said is greater than all other men, imagine how much greater baby Christians are, who are part of the kingdom of God, than unbelievers. What About Unbelievers? So, where do we put unbelievers? These verses describe the stages of spiritual growth. What stage are they in? Unbelievers are not in a stage of spiritual life, because they are spiritually dead: Ephesians 2:1 You were dead in the trespasses and sins…5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ. Colossians 2:13 You, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, Unbelievers can’t grow spiritually, or be sanctified, because they aren’t justified yet: Justification is the once-for-all time moment God declares us righteous by faith in Christ.