1 John 2:12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
This verse was written by the Apostle John to believers that he called little children. They were not literally children, but rather new believers who were still learning and growing in their new faith. If you have ever worked with new believers you know how important it is to ensure they have a solid foundation from which to build. And our spiritual foundation begins with Jesus and what He did to save us from our sins. John took his task seriously and wrote in simple terms, as one would speak with children, to ensure they knew without a doubt that their sins had been forgiven.
John tells these new believers that they have been forgiven. They probably already knew they had been forgiven since we know from Paul that we are saved by faith and we have read numerous verses this month that speak of us being forgiven. Those epistles, though addressed to specific churches or individuals, were widely circulated. John’s letters were written later than the other Apostles’ so we can assume the message of forgiveness was probably discussed. Regardless, John reminds them that they have been forgiven, assuring them of the fact with words of encouragement.
He informed them that forgiveness was based on the work of Jesus and what He did, on account of His name. It is not by our actions or by anything we have done. We do not earn salvation. We receive it as a gift of grace and mercy.
As believers, reminders such as this are great. As we grow in our faith and begin learning new spiritual truths, we tend to forget foundational principles like this. We are forgiven of our sins on account of Him. That fact should bring us great joy! It is a simple message, but it is truly foundational and we should never forget it!
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