1 John 5:4 - Faith of Overcomers.
1 John 5:4 (ESV) For everyone who has been
born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world - our faith.
1 John 5:4 (CWR) Everyone born of God can
overcome the world. And this is what gives us victory
over the world: our faith in God.
1 John 5:4 (TLB) for every child of God can
obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by
trusting Christ to help him.
INTRODUCTION
What are the 3 characteristics of an
"overcomer"?
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1). Saving FAITH
IS THE FIRST CHARACTERISTIC of an overcomer.
The term "believes" conveys the idea of
continuing faith, making the point that the mark of
genuine believers is that they continue in faith
throughout their life. Saving belief is not simply
intellectual acceptance, but wholehearted dedication to
Jesus Christ that is permanent. The object of the
believer's faith is Jesus, particularly that He is the
promised Messiah or "Anointed One" whom God sent to
be the Savior from sin. Whoever places faith in
Jesus Christ as the only Savior has been born
again and, as a result, is an overcomer (v. 5). To
be "born of God" is a reference to the new
birth and is the same word that Jesus used in John
3:7. The tense of the Greek verb indicates that
ongoing faith is the result of the new birth and,
therefore, the evidence of the new birth. The sons of
God will manifest the reality that they have
been born again by continuing to believe in God's
Son, the Savior. The new birth brings us into a
permanent faith relationship with God and Christ.
"And everyone who loves Him who begot
also loves him who is begotten of Him" (v. 1).
LOVE IS THE SECOND CHARACTERISTIC of the
overcomer. The overcomer not only believes in God, but
loves both God and fellow believers. The moral
test is again in view.
"By this we know that we love the
children of God, when we love God and keep His
commandments" (v. 2). John repeats this phrase twice in
these 2 verses. OBEDIENCE IS THE THIRD
CHARACTERISTIC of an overcomer. In these verses, John
weaves faith, love, and obedience all together
inextricably. They exist mutually in a dynamic
relationship - as the genuine proof of love is obedience,
so the genuine proof of faith is love. The word
"keep" conveys the idea of constant obedience (John
8:31, 32; 14:15, 21; 15:10). [MacArthur Daily
Bible 2003]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Let no one think he can overcome without the
help of God. You must have the energy, the
strength, the power, of an inner life developed within
you. You will then bear fruit unto godliness, and
will have an intense loathing of vice. You need
to constantly strive to work away from
earthliness, from cheap conversation, from everything
sensual, and aim for nobility of soul and a pure and
unspotted character. MM144
COMMENTARY
Spirit-Powered Victory
We all like to succeed, dont we? And
there is no greater triumph than what Jesus
accomplished on the cross: His victory over the power of
sin and death enables us to be in relationship
with God Almighty, our heavenly Father.
The victorious Christian life is lived
out day by day, hour by hour, as we - by the
power of God's Spirit - break sinful patterns in
our lives and obey God. The victorious Christian
life is the Spirit's response to our faith.
God gave us the gift of His Holy Spirit,
and when we seek to obey God's will, the
Spirit's power is released in us. According to
Ephesians 1:19-20, that power is the same "mighty
power which [God] worked in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly places."
Are you presently overcoming the world,
or is the world overcoming you? There is no
temptation or persecution at the world's disposal that
can defeat Christ in you.
The strength to overcome is a gift of God
- and we have a great deal more power than we
know. What will you do today to access that power
and experience fresh victories in your life?
[Being Still With God Every Day by Henry Blackaby]
ILLUSTRATION
Rebecca was a faithful volunteer at our
church, a wife, and the mother of two children. She
seemed happy enough but eventually shared her dark
secret: for years she had eaten whatever she wanted
only to regurgitate that food a few minutes
later. Ashamed of her struggles, she had managed to
keep her sickness hidden from everyone around
her. Then one day Rebecca's three-year-old
daughter began sticking her little finger down her
throat, mimicking what she had seen her mommy do. At
that moment, Rebecca knew it was time to come
clean about her struggle.
She confessed to everyone - her husband,
her family, and our team at church. She sought
help from a Christian counselor and slowly pushed
through her darkness into the light of Christ's
healing. Best of all, God has transformed her past
struggles into a ministry. Rebecca regularly meets
with other women struggling with the same private
battle she endured for years.
No matter what your struggle is, God can
do a similar miracle for you. Once a broken
bone heals, it is often strongest at the point of
the fracture. In the same way, God can take the
shame of past failures and amazingly redirect
their outcome toward our future success. He loves
to transform our weaknesses with his strength
so that others can see his power at work in our
lives.
I give my struggles to you, Father, and
thank you for the way you change my mistakes into
your masterpieces. [Daily Power by Craig
Groeschel]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Faith Enables Obedience. Instead of
releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith
only, that makes us partakers of the grace of
Christ, which enables us to render obedience. {SC
60, 61}
Christians are those who overcome the world
through their relationship with Christ. [Word In
Life SB]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
1 John 5:4 - Faith of Overcomers.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2013/20130113-1255.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio:
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
