My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have a Counselor{Greek Parakleton: Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, and Comfortor.} with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
My little children ... Commentators are sharply divided on the meaning of this expression in this chapter.  While it is generally admitted that John here used "little children" as a designation of the whole congregation, the repeated use of the word, especially the use of two different words for children, namely, [@paidia] and [@teknia] seems to suggest a different meaning later in the chapter.  [@Paidia] is the word used in 1John  2:13,1 John 2:18.[4] The other word is used in  1 John 2:12,28;  1 John 3:7,18;  1 John 4:4, and  1 John 5:21.  See more on this under 1John  2:13,1 John 2:18.  By John's use of "little children" as a reference to the whole church, some have concluded that John was an old man when he wrote this.