5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. For every believer, being born of God holds a hope and glory that is as deep and rich as God Himself. Held within our born again spirits is a "genetic pool," (spiritually speaking) that makes the scriptural declaration that Christ is within us our collective hope of glory. John has already described this new life, as being capable of freeing us from sin's bondage and being our source to love others similar to the way Christ loves us. Here John continues to expand our legitimate hope and expectation of what has been birthed within us. First, he tells us this new life is the result of faith and faith alone. It is not the result of some special mystical experience of those who have earned this rich, new life. It is a gift received by faith in Christ and is not based in any way on the efforts of those who receive it. This amazing new life creates within us not only a love for God but also a love for all those who have been born of God. This is a test of the legitimacy of being born of God that is not often respected by those who claim to be Christians. It is a mark against those who believe in Jesus that the world around us seldom declares that they know we are followers of Christ because of our love for one another. It is vital that we, therefore, take personal responsibility to nourish and develop this life, lest it become dormant and unfruitful. The love we should have for one another begins when we first love God and thereby keeping His commandments (v. 3). As we love God and His will, we will have the spiritual resources within us to genuinely love one another. We are also taught here that those born of God have by faith the capacity to overcome the fallen world in which we must still live. This is, of course, is no small hope. Once we are born of God, it becomes very clear how out of place we become in this world. Our hearts yearn for things that we once had no interest in, and we begin to grow a dislike for the pleasures of sin for which we once would have died. Therefore, do not underestimate what can happen when faith ignites a new spiritual genetic force within you. Love and victory will be its result. This new life within you has the capacity to genuinely love God, love one another, and find victory over a fallen world of sin! | |||
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1 John 5:1-10  1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. | |||
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| 1 John 5:1-10 v. 1 Whoever – pas (Gk.) each, every, any, all; some of all types. This is an open invitation, excluding no one and including everyone who believes. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Believes – pisteuo (Gk.) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. True faith is not just something that happens in your head. Biblical belief occupies the mind, affects the heart and influences one's actions. Jesus is the Christ – The word Christ here means anointed one. This title was understood by every well-informed Jew to be the promised Messiah. The Old Testament scriptures are full of details describing what the Messiah would be like and what He would do. Therefore, to believe that Jesus is the Christ would mean that you believe Jesus to be the Savior God has been promising would come. It also means that you believe that all the descriptions of the Messiah in the Old Testament apply to Jesus Christ. For example, if you believe Jesus is the Christ according to the Old Testament Prophecies, you also believe:
Born of God – This is a phrase describing one who has not only been born of man according to the flesh, but born of the Spirit (John 1:12-13). Jesus said that unless you are born of God or born again you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). For more, see John 3:3-19 and 1 Peter 1:18-23. Him who Begot – Begot means to be the cause and father of. Him who begot refers to God the Father. Also Loves Him Who is Begotten of Him – Everyone who truly loves the Father will also love the one born of the Father. This refers first of all to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Secondly, it refers to all those who are born of God through faith in Jesus Christ. v. 2 By This We Know – This is the last of 8 times this phrase is found in 1 John (2:3, 5; 3:16, 19, 24; 4:6, 13; 5:2). There is a way to verify and validate if there is truly love in someone's heart for God. This evidence is thoroughly explained in the rest of this chapter. This verse is not given that we might judge others. It is a verse given that we might judge ourselves and examine our own faith. When We Love God and Keep His Commandments – To love God is actually synonymous with keeping His commandments (John 14:21). To claim to love God and at the same time live in open sin is contradictory. The person who can consistently live in this manner does not love God and is living a lie. This is the standard John gives us that we might check our own hearts rather than to seek to judge others with (John 14:23). v. 3 His Commandments are not Burdensome – The commandments that come from God through Jesus are not unreasonable, extreme or grievous. Consider Jesus' summation of God's commandments in Matthew 22:37-40: "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." If we are walking in love, it is not burdensome or difficult to walk in obedience to God's commandments. On the other hand, those who do not have the love of God dwelling in them would find God's commandments burdensome, unnatural and impossible to keep. v. 4 Whatever is Born of God Overcomes the World – John is declaring here that anyone born of God, no matter how seemingly weak or vulnerable they may be, overcomes the world! John is saying that because of the Spirit of God Who is dwelling in us through new birth we have the power to overcome every temptation (1 John 4:4). v. 5 Jesus is the Son of God – John now summarizes what he has been saying with one slight change of words. Instead of stressing belief in Jesus as the Christ, he now stresses belief in Jesus as the Son of God. This is an emphasis upon the divine nature of Jesus. v. 6 He Who Came by Water and Blood – Speaking of Jesus Christ, John declares that He came by these natural, earthly elements. This again conflicts with the heretical Gnostic view of the phantom Jesus who did not have a real body of flesh and was totally disassociated from the material world. Not Only by Water – If Jesus came by water alone He would not have been able to atone for our sins. Even if He was a perfect man living a perfect life of obedience, that would not be enough to save us. For without blood sacrifice there can be no forgiveness of sin (Lev. 17:11, Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:22-28). Water and Blood – Again John stresses here the earthy elements that describe the true Jesus Christ. Adding blood to this formula makes all the difference in the world. For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). The blood of Jesus is a crucial part of God's plan of salvation. Remove the blood and you remove forgiveness of sin (1 John 1:7). The Spirit Who Bears Witness – Notice that the Spirit is a Who. Christian cults either deny that the Holy Spirit of God is a person or they claim He is another distinct god but not part of the Triune Godhead (Col. 2:9). Thus, a trait of most cults is they will deny the Trinity (Matt. 28:19). For a brief study on the deity of the Holy Spirit, see John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13, and Acts 5:3-4. The Spirit is Truth – God cannot lie. Therefore the Sprit of God can only speak truth. Also see John 15:26, 16:13 to read Jesus' explanation of the Spirit of Truth. v. 7 Three that Bear Witness in Heaven – To bear witness means to testify to the truth just as a witness in a courtroom would bear witness to the facts to verify evidence in that case. The following three are undeniable witnesses in heaven: The Father – This is a clear and obvious reference to God the Father (Gal. 1:3; Eph. 5:20, 6:23). The Word – This is the Word of God, a title given to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:14, Rev. 19:13). The Holy Spirit – Just as the Father is a living personality and the Word is a living personality, so the Holy Spirit is a living personality. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He is testifying of the truth in heaven (Matt. 28:19). These Three Are One – These three are literally one. This word one in the Greek is the word heis which can also be translated same. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the same God. The doctrine of the Trinity can be supported here as well as many other texts of scripture. The Trinity is a mystery, although difficult to understand, it is clearly spelled out in the scriptures over and over again. It is worth noting that this verse is a controversial text because the words the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit are not found in most of the newer translations and are not supported by the earliest Greek and Latin manuscripts. v. 8 Three that Bear Witness on Earth – Now John will point out the three specific ways people might know the truth on earth. The following are three witnesses testifying to the true identity of Jesus Christ. The Spirit – The only way we can know the truth about God is through the Holy Spirit of God. Though the Holy Spirit often uses people and scripture to enlighten us, He is really the only way one can truly know God (1 John 5:6; Matt. 28:19; John 15:26; Rom. 8:1-16, 1 Cor. 2:11, 12:3, 14:2. The Water – Either refers to the testimony of water baptism or the water that flowed when His side was pierced on the cross. All of these point to faith in the Savior. The Blood – This is an obvious pointing to the shedding of Jesus' blood for us. The fact that Jesus blood was shed testifies to His being a real man of flesh and blood as well as to His ministry of atonement. These Three Agree as One – Notice that unlike the previous statement (v. 7), John doesn't say that these three are one or the same. Instead he says that these three are in agreement. In other words, the Spirit, the water, and the blood are all saying the same thing about Jesus. They all testify of Jesus' coming as a man and his sacrificial death. v. 9 the Witness of God is Greater – Men have varying opinions about Jesus. What John is telling us here is that we better listen to what God says about Jesus rather than what man says. This is the Witness of God – John wants to make clear that of all the voices testifying of who Jesus is, in this writing John is clarifying what God says about Jesus. v. 10 He Who Believes in the Son of God Has the Witness in Himself – When a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. That very Spirit dwelling in him testifies of God's truth (1 John 4:13, Eph. 1:13, Rom. 8:16). John again purposely uses the term Son of God to emphasize the Deity of Jesus. He Who Does Not Believe God has Made Him a Liar – Those who don't believe the testimony God has given concerning His Son are calling God a liar. | |||
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| For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. –1 John 5:4 What amazing words we read today, God! Whatever is born of You overcomes the world. We, who are re-born as Your children, can overcome the world. Let us take this to heart today. We are already victorious because we have been born again through Jesus Christ. We are already victorious! | |||
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Worship Ministry
