1 John 2:12

1 John 2:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
• New International Version (NIV)I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

Context of 1 John 2:12

10Anyone who loves other believers shows that he is living in the light. There is nothing that will make him turn away from God. 11But if someone hates other believers, he is still living in a bad way. He is like someone who is walking in the dark. He cannot see where he is going. He is like a blind person. He cannot understand God's true message. My little children, I am writing to you because God has forgiven your sins. He has done this because of Christ. 13You who are older, like fathers, I am writing to you because you know Christ. He has always been there, since before the world began. You who are young men, I am writing to you because you have won against Satan. 14Yes, my children, I have written to you because you know God, our Father. Fathers, I have written to you because you know Christ. He was already there before the world began. Young men, I have written to you because you are strong. You continue to obey God's message, and you have won against Satan.

1 John 2:12 word by word

Γράφω ὑμῖν, τεκνία, ὅτι ἀφέωνται ὑμῖν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• little childrenτεκνίονteknion · childrenG5040
• becauseὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• sinsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• sinsἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• are forgiven youἀφίημιaphiēmi · to release: forgiveG863
• forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• name’sὄνομαonoma · nameG3686

Cross-references for 1 John 2:12

• 1 John 2:7My friends, I am telling you to love one another. When I write this to you, I am not giving you a new rule. It is an old rule that you have had for a long time. We gave it to you when you began to obey Christ. It is the same message that you have already heard.
• 1 John 1:4We are writing to you so that together we all may be completely happy.
• 1 John 2:1I am writing this letter to you, my friends who are like my little children. I am writing to you because I do not want you to do wrong things. But if anyone among you does something wrong, there is someone who will speak to God on our behalf. That person is Jesus Christ, who always does only what is right. He will ask our Father God to forgive you.
• 1 John 1:7But when we live in a right way, it is like living in the light. God is always in the light. So, if we live in the light, we share together in the life which God gives. And when Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross, he saved us from all our sins. The blood of his sacrifice makes us clean.
• Psalms 32:1When God has forgiven someone's sins, they are truly happy! They may have turned against God, but when God forgives them, they are happy.
• Luke 5:20Jesus saw them. He knew that they believed in him. So he said to the sick man, ‘My friend, I forgive you for the wrong things that you have done.’
• Luke 7:47So I tell you, this woman has done many bad things. But I have forgiven her. She loves me a lot, because I have forgiven her for many bad things. If I only forgive someone a little, that person only loves me a little.’
• Luke 24:47People in every country of the world must hear God's message. They must stop doing wrong things and change how they live. When they do this, God will forgive them. He will forgive all the bad things that they have done. People need to tell this message about the Messiah in Jerusalem first, then tell people in other countries.
• Acts 4:12Then Peter said, ‘Only Jesus can save people. There has never been another person in the world that could do this. God has not given any other man the authority to save us.’
• Acts 10:43Then Peter said, ‘All of God's prophets spoke about Jesus as God's Messiah. They said that God would forgive everyone who believes in him. He would forgive them for their sins because of what Jesus, the Messiah, would do.’
• Acts 13:38My friends, I want all of you to know this. God forgives us for the bad things that we have done. He does this because of what Jesus did. That is my message to you.
• Romans 4:6David also wrote about the same thing. He describes those people that God has accepted as right with himself. God has not accepted them because they have done good things, but as his gift to them. David tells us how happy people like that are.
• Ephesians 1:7When Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross, he paid the price to make us free. Because of Christ's death on our behalf, God has forgiven our sins. God is so very kind that he has done all this for us!
• Colossians 1:14God's Son, Jesus, paid the price for our sins and made us free. Yes, God has forgiven us.
• Psalms 25:11Lord, my sins are very many. Please forgive me, and show that your name is great.
• Psalms 106:8But the Lord rescued them, to show that his name is great. He showed that he was very powerful.

Commentaries on 1 John 2:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12I write unto you, little children - · Beloved children, (see on 1 John 2:1; (note)), those who were probably the apostle's own converts, and members of the Church over which he presided. But it may be applied to young converts in general; those who can call God Abba, Father, by the Holy Spirit: therefore he says of them, that their sins were forgiven them for his name's sake: i.e. on account of Jesus, the Savior, who had died for them, and was now their…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12I write unto you, little children - There has been much difference of opinion among commentators in regard to this verse and the three following verses, on account of their apparent tautology. Even Doddridge supposes that considerable error has here crept into the text, and that a portion of these verses should be omitted in order to avoid the repetition. But there is no authority for omitting any portion of the text, and the passage is very much in…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-14Verses 12-14 As Christians have their peculiar states, so they have peculiar duties; but there are precepts and obedience common to all, particularly mutual love, and contempt of the world. The youngest sincere disciple is pardoned: the communion of saints is attended with the forgiveness of sins. Those of the longest standing in Christ's school need further advice and instruction. Even fathers must be written unto, and preached unto; none are too old to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-14John describes three groups of Christians at different stages of spiritual growth: God's children, the young in the faith (literally young people), and the mature in the faith (literally fathers).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. little children--Greek, "little sons," or "dear sons and daughters"; not the same Greek as in 1Jo 2:13, "little children," "infants" (in age and standing). He calls ALL to whom he writes, "little sons" (1Jo 2:1, Greek; 1Jo 2:28; 3:18; 4:4; 5:21); but only in 1Jo 2:13, 18 he uses the term "little children," or "infants." Our Lord, whose Spirit John so deeply drank into, used to His disciples (Joh 13:33) the term "little sons," or dear sons and…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 2:12

• Children
• Jesus Continued
• Righteous
• Sin
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Acknowledge
• Advocate
• Lie
• Stumble
• John, the Epistles of
• forgive, forgiven, forgiveness, pardon, pardoned

Commentaries on 1 John 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings