I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you know the Father.
As John writes, he is viewing his work from the perspective of the reader. The "little children" are the same newborn Christians addressed above. He says, "I have written" for this reason, "because ye have known the Father." All Christians, young and old, mature and immature, must know God in this very intimate fashion. These new Christians have come to enjoy the same relationship with the Father as those who are older, but it is a relationship that will grow deeper and sweeter with the years.