John has one more specific group of readers he has a word for: Young men. In verses 13 and 14 of 1 John 2 he writes, "I write to you, young men,because you have overcome the evil one. . . . I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
I'm not sure exactly what John is trying to say here, but I have a couple of thoughts. First, young men could refer to exactly that, men of a certain age in the church, the ones providing the energy to do the hard work of church building.
The words John has for this group, though, suggest maybe he's referring to a stage of spiritual maturity. Since these young men obviously haven't overcome the evil one in the world in general, it seems John is referring to their personal lives. "You've accepted the Gospel, you've put your faith in Jesus," he seems to be saying. "You've overcome the evil one in your heart and are following Jesus now."
As a result of that personal victory, the word of God now lives in them, and they are strong for the Lord. That too sounds like the enthusiasm of newfound faith. So, these excited new Christians also hear the command that is both old as time and new as they are.
My challenge: To keep overcoming the evil one in my personal life, and to rekindle that strength of purpose these "young men" of the early church had. It shouldn't be as hard as it is some days.
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