1My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. 2And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 3This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. 4One who says, “I know him,” and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him. 5But God’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him: 6he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.
7Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. 9He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now. 10He who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him. 11But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, little children, because you know the Father.
14I have written to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him. 16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s. 17The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever.
18Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. 19They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us. 20You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever denies the Son doesn’t have the Father. He who confesses the Son has the Father also.
24Therefore, as for you, let that remain in you which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son, and in the Father. 25This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life.
26These things I have written to you concerning those who would lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.
28Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
John next addresses the “fathers” in the church. They are fathers because of their long relationship with God. God is described as the one they have known “from the beginning,” likely a reference to the beginning of their salvation. Further, this knowledge is the same experiential, relational knowledge spoken of earlier in the epistle. The perfect tense verse used, “have known,” indicates he is looking at the fact of their earlier coming to know God that has continued to the present.
“The beginning” is not an allusion to creation. John gives no indication he is thinking in terms of Genesis 1 as he did in the first verse of his Gospel. Rather, it is better to see this repeating the same sense of “beginning” in 2:7.
Next, John addresses the young men with the present tense, “I write.” His reason for addressing them is that they overcame “the wicked one,” Satan. The idea is that they have defeated Satan in their lives. The verb “have overcome” is another perfect tense verb, indicating the initial victory occurred in the past and its results continue to the present. They continue to be overcomers and experience the benefits of their victory.
John now turns to the little children once again and addresses them first in his second triad of praises. He changes the word for “little children” to a synonym, the term Jesus used to address the disciples who had gone fishing after His resurrection (John 21:5). The change is invisible in an English text but would have been very obvious to his Greek listeners. This, along with the past-tense form of the verb (aorist) for writing, likely indicates growth from the first address. He adds to their forgiven sins the statement that they “have known the Father.” This is again the past tense verb (perfect tense) that says they came to know God and continue to the present to know Him and experience the benefits of that knowledge. This is similar to what he said about the fathers earlier.