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How "Little Children" Refutes the Conditionalist (1 John 2:18-19)

There is something fascinating about the phrase “little children” in 1 John 2:12-13.


In our English translation, the phrase “little children” is used two times in verses 12 and 13 of 1 John, chapter 2. However, in the Greek text, there are two different words used. In verse 12, the Greek word teknion (τεκνίov) is used while in verse 13, it is the Greek word paidion (παιδίον). So, what, who cares, right? Wrong. If we believe in the Verbal, Plenary Inspiration of Scripture, then it’s important to seek to understand why God chose two different Greek words, when mentioning “little children.”


12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. 13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.


12 Γράφω ὑμῖν τεκνία ὅτι ἀφέωνται ὑμῖν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ 13 γράφω ὑμῖν πατέρες ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς γράφω ὑμῖν νεανίσκοι ὅτι νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν γράφω ὑμῖν, παιδία ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν πατέρα


According to the BDAG lexicon, teknion is often associated with believers to whom one is invested in discipleship with (1 Timothy 1:2), while paidion is regularly associated with children in physical age, those open to instruction, and often those considered as a spiritually young Christian (1 Corinthians 14:20). This is an important distinction in verses 12-13, because John first addresses all of his readers (Gr. teknion) in verse 12 and then in verse 13, he narrows his scope to those who he considers as spiritual adolescents (Gr. paidion); along with other categories (i.e., fathers, young men).


But I have yet to explain what is fascinating about “little children” in these two verses. To find out, let us look a few verses later, in verse 18 of the same chapter.


18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.


What is the Greek word for “little children” used here? It is paidion and not teknion.


18 Παιδία ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν καὶ καθὼς ἠκούσατε ὅτι ὁ ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται καὶ νῦν ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν ὅθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν


Why is this so fascinating? Because verse 18 is a part of a passage in which Conditionalist’s (i.e. Calvinists, Lordship Salvation, etc) like to use to argue that if someone doesn’t remain in proper fellowship with God, then they were never a genuine believer (see verse below).


19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.


The rationale goes that if a believer doesn’t remain in fellowship with God, they left “us” and prove that they were never “of us”. And for the Conditionalist, that indicates that “they” were never genuinely saved to begin with, for if they were, they “would no doubt have continued with us.”


This Conditionalist view is a wrong view for many reasons, but for this article's sake, it is wrong because of the Greek word used here for “little children.”


Beginning in verse 18, the noun paidion is used in the Vocative case. Vocative is a case where a noun is used as a direct address or exclamation. This means that “little children” is who John is directly addressing. Had John wanted to address all his readers, he would’ve used the Greek word teknion, which he does 7 times in this letter, referring to all his readers. Instead, John uses the Greek word paidion, or the spiritual adolescents…i.e., young believers in the faith.


Therefore, verses 18-19 (and possibly onward to verse 28 where “little children” is then back to the Greek teknion) are directly addressed (Vocative case) to the young, naive, and gullible believers. And it is to these young and gullible, spiritually immature believers, to which John cautions them about the antichrists that are in their day.


Now when John uses the pronouns “us” and “they”, he is contrasting the antichrists “they” who are unbelieving false teachers teaching a false view of Christ, which makes them depart from “us” (i.e., the true apostles). And so, being concerned for the ones at risk of succumbing to false teaching, John directly addresses the spiritually young and gullible “little children”, paidion, a group distinct from all his children (teknion). Understanding all this, we can see that John is trying to protect those young in the faith and young in doctrinal knowledge, from the antichrists that were prevalent in their day.


Therefore, 1 John 2:18-19 has nothing to do with professing believers who prove they were never saved to begin with, for if that was the case, John would’ve used teknion rather than paidion.


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