The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 10

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10 The Lutheran Pioneer.

daily associated for many years, and whose traits
of character he has learned to value by numerous
and various experiences. Their knowledge of the
Savior is deep and thorough as compared with that
of the younger Christians. It is such as can be
gained only after many years of intimacy with
Him. They know Him by ever renewed faith. He
is known to them both as far as His work and His
person are concerned. They know Him as God’s
Son, who is “from the beginning,” from eternity,
who is our dwelling-place in all generations. He
writes to the fathers, because they know God’s
eternal Son. He desires to increase and deepen
their spiritual knowledge of Him, to fill their hearts
with new confidence in Him, and to help them to
be faithful to the Lord, to love Him, to struggle
against the sinful love of the world, etc.

V.13b. I write unto you, young men, because
ye have overcome the Wicked One. He writes to
the younger Christians, “who are in their bloom
and flower.” Although they were young, they had
proved themselves men, for they had overcome the
devil by faith. As soon as we begin to have faith
in Christ, we are liberated from Satan’s power.
Herein consists the great initial victory over the foe
which is obtained by faith. This those young men
had won. More, they had time and again withstood
Satan’s temptations, thus defeating his purposes.
They quit themselves like men and successfully
fought the good fight of faith. He would encourage
them to continue their victorious struggle against
Satan. He writes to strengthen their determination
of resisting the devil’s evil will, which would fain
reduce them to the old captivity. He teaches them
to parry Satan’s assaults and to keep him at bay.

V.13¢c. I have written [Revised Version] wnto
you, little children, because ye know the Father.
Again he addresses the children. He has written
to them in this letter, because they know the Father.
Father and mother are known better to the little ones
than any one else. They are wholly dependent on
them for life and care. But Christian children know
God as their true Father in the highest sense ofthe
word, who has given them their parents, and through
them cares for them, and keeps and blesses them.
They know Jesus, their Savior, and also His Father
who for Christ’s sake has become their true Father.
Byen the little ones cry, “Abba, Father,” by the
Spirit, and are heard. Out of the mouths of babes
and sucklings God has perfected praise.

John has written to the children to acquaint
them more fully with their heavenly Father, to ad-

monish them to love Him, in short, to further their
spiritual lives.

V.14a. [have written unto you, fathers, because
ye have known Him that is from the beginning.
He addresses also the fathers in Christ a second
time, to make a deep impression on them also. He
repeats what he wrote to them before without chang-
ing a word save the form of the first verb.

V.14b. I have written unto you, young men,
because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth
in you, and ye have overcome the Wicked One.
A few important words are here added to this solemn
repetition of the apostle’s first statement to the
young. Young men glory in their strength; but
the young believers to whom John here writes were
spiritually strong, strong in the Lord and the power
of His might. God’s Word, which abode in them,
was the source of their strength. By a constant
use of the Word of grace their strength was pre-
served, and augmented in the course of time. Thus
they overcame the Wicked One by divine strength,
received by faith. John had written to them in
order to urge them to keep on using the Bible, and
thus to assist them in growing stronger, going from
strength to strength.

St. John no doubt wrote these words with a re-
joicing heart, because they were written to Chris-
tians, who knew and prized the one thing needful.
He wrote with the hopeful assurance that his words
would not prove futile, but fruitful, furthering his
readers spiritually. Hence it was with pleasure that
he penned these lines.

The Bible, which is written and well adapted
for young, middle-aged, and old, is never preached —
or read in vain. The Catechism is not studied im
vain. Blessed are they that hear the Word of God
and keep it. Blessed are they that read John’s
helpful words and forget them not.

H. OstErHus.

>>

‘What Mount Zion, New Orleans,
Is Doing.’’

Shortly after God, our heavenly Father, in His
mighty wisdom saw fit to call from this life our
dearly beloved and deeply lamented “Uncle Bob,”
the same God, in His same great wisdom, saw fit
to send a terrible scourge upon our entire nation,
which was also felt in our city of New Orleans.
But He is also a merciful God, and out of the fulness
of His bounteous mercy and extreme goodness He