Little Children in 1 John

2.1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but a also for the sins of the whole world.

John’s address to this congregation at Ephesus “My little children”… How many of us would find it OK, to be addressed this way? Esv study says, "1 John 2:1 My little children. John's way of addressing his readers (cf. vv. 12, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21) exemplifies the love to which he summons readers." By the way, this way of speaking is used only by John (seven times) and by Jesus (once) in John 13. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
It's kind of cool to see John take up a term used by Jesus and use it himself to address his "disciples". Could John's use of a Jesus term show us that he has become like his master and that he has disciples who are loved enough and also who follow Jesus closely enough that they get to be called "little children"?

But there is also something else. Using the endearing term of little children leads us to see the heart of John. He loves the church of Ephesus and so he wants to keep them from sin. While this is a demand, it is a demand that is awash in love.

“May not sin” when we know the truth, then we can live the truth and move away from sin. The Psalmist says, “Teach me your word that I may not sin against you”; the Word of God is a powerful tool to keep us from sin. A good reason to have it infused into our lives. But the reminder of Jesus is important here: the person who hears and doesn’t do is a builder on the sand… (Matthew 7). And Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2). We can have the word, but not act on the word. When we act, God empowers us to fulfill his word. This is true in so much of our lives. We have things but we do not use them. I have tools that I don’t use so nothing gets built. I have a bike with snow tires but I haven’t ridden it in a month. It’s one thing to have something, it is a totally different deal to do something with it.