In 1 John 2:12-14 progressive sanctification is divided into three stages: children, young men, and fathers. Twice, the verses mention young men overcoming the evil one. They do so by being spiritually strong, being in God’s Word, being self-controlled, and resisting the harlot in Proverbs 7.

Table of contentsYoung Men Overcome the Evil One By Being Spiritually StrongYoung Men Overcome the Evil One By Being in God’s WordYoung Men Overcome the Evil One By Being Self-ControlledYoung Men Are Fighting the Toughest BattleYoung Men Overcome the Evil One By Resisting the HarlotA Father's ResponsibilityYoung Men Wrongly Think Noone Sees God Sees the Good, TooFootnotes

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Twice, 1 John 2:12-14 mentions young men overcoming the evil one. They must be spiritually strong and resist the harlot in Proverbs 7.

Let me tell you about the different units in the Army. I will briefly break them down, starting at the brigade level:

A brigade has 2-3 battalions and about 5,000 soldiers.

A battalion has 4-6 companies and about 1,000 soldiers.

A company has 3-4 platoons and about 200 soldiers.

A platoon has 2-3 squads and about 36 soldiers.

A squad has about 10 soldiers.

Squads make up the platoons, companies, battalions, and brigades They are the building blocks of the Army, and they are filled with young men. We don’t send children, women, or old men to battle. We send young men. They are in the trenches and on the front lines. When a general decides to storm a beach, take a hill, or drop men behind enemy lines, he sends young men. They exert the greatest effort and make the greatest sacrifices. The greatest strength is required of them.

First John 2:12-14 divides our progressive sanctification into three stages: children, fathers, and young men. It says to young men twice, "Young men have OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE." Young men are fighting the enemy. They are in the trenches and on the front line. They must exert the greatest effort and make the greatest sacrifices. The greatest strength is required of them.

Maybe this is why they are listed last in the verses. Children are addressed first, then fathers, and THEN young men, versus children, young men, and fathers as expected. Maybe John addresses them last because the most is expected of them, and he wants to give them the most attention:

1 John 2:13b I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:14b 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 know more than the gospel basics of children, but they don’t yet have the deep knowledge and understanding fathers have.1

Three things are said to young men, but only one thing is said to them twice, once in verse 13 and again in verse 14: they “have overcome the evil one.” It seems that if you are wondering when you move from being a child to being a young man, it is when you have victory over temptation. And this could be why some people spiritually remain children: they don’t overcome sin.

Now, there must be some balance because none of us stop sinning completely. I think the balance is young men have victory over life-dominating sin. They still sin, but not habitually, or it does not dominate them.

Let’s talk about each thing said to young men so we can equip them to overcome the evil one.

Young Men Overcome the Evil One By Being Spiritually Strong

Because we are talking about young men, we immediately think of physical strength, and that’s probably part of it. Hopefully, you young men are using your strength and energy in positive, productive ways, not wasting your time on frivolous activities. But spiritual strength is even more in view.

And there is a relationship between a young man’s spiritual strength and – as it says – “the Word of God abiding in [him].” God’s Word is the source of a young man’s spiritual strength.