1 John 2:12 KJV
[12] I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
John directs this verse to those who are young in the faith. He wants them to understand why he has written this epistle. They need to be reminded of what God has done in their lives. Also, he wants them to understand the purpose as to why the Lord has shown this great act of kindness.
They were once sinners guilty before God. They were unable to save themselves and incapable of paying the enormous sin debt that belonged to them. The debt was greater than they could ever imagine. All they could do is plead guilty as charged before him. They were a slave to sin and Satan. For what looked hopeless, to those that were helpless, God in mercy forgave them. He wiped their slate clean and stamped the charges paid in full. Their sins have been forgiven!
What joy to have your sins forgiven! This is true for all who accept his mercy and trust the finished work of Calvary. The problem is, often a believer loses sight of this forgiveness. If we are not careful, we can become numb to the benefit that God has extended to us. Asking for forgiveness of our sins is something that we should be practicing daily in our lives. As we approach God in prayer and ask for daily cleansing and forgiveness, we should thank him for this benefit. We should never fail to use it in our lives. The forgiveness of sins is a faithful promise we can always rely on.
We must be reminded as to why. Why would God show such loving kindness? Why would he go to such great lengths to forgive us? The answer is in our verse. The Bible says, “for his name’s sake”. We are forgiven because of Jesus. Jesus paid it all and all to him we owe.