FAITH OVERCOMES THE WORLD
1 John 5:4
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Man is spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). But man also has a part of him called flesh and this part will not be regenerated, it cannot please God, it cannot be redeemed, it is sinful and must die. He must be born again. He must be born of God. When a person comes into Christ their spirit is made alive and he can and must by the spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh. The part that is born of God is pleasing to God and does not sin but is righteous. The part that is born of flesh is wicked completely. The Christian therefore has an internal struggle going on within him between his flesh and his spirit. The two are against each other. The victory therefore is in the spirit by faith.
FOR WHATEVER IS BORN OF GOD
Must be Born of God
Job 25:4 “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of women?”
Luke 7:28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
John 3:3-7 “3Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ 4Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ 5Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again.’”
John 1:12-13 “12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
That Which is Born of God Loves and Does Not Sin
1 John 3:9 “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
1 John 5:18 “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
Romans 6:11 “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God.”
Made Alive or Quickened
John 5:21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.”
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
1 Corinthians 15:45 “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
Ephesians 2:1, 5 “1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…5even when we were dead in our transgressions, [He] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”
Colossians 2:13 “When you were dead in you transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions”
OVERCOMES THE WORLD
Satan is the Ruler of this World
John 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…”
Ephesians 2:2 “in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”
God’s People are not at Home in This World but the One to Come
John 8:23 “And He was saying to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.”
John 17:15-16 “15I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
Hebrews 11:13 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
Mark 10:29-30 “29Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
It is a Present Evil World
Galatians 1:4 “who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father”ASV
The Wisdom of This World is Weak
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 “20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
1 Corinthians 3:19 “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, ‘He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness.’”
Do Not Be Conformed to This World
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Victory and Overcoming Originates with Jesus
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
To Him Who Overcomes
Revelation 2:7 “I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”
Revelation 2:11 “Will not be hurt by the second death.”
Revelation 2:17 “To him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
Revelation 2:26-28 “To him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.”
Revelation 3:5 “Will be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Revelation 3:12 “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”
Revelation 3:21 “I will grant him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
AND THIS IS THE VICTORY THAT HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD – OUR FAITH
The Faith and Our Faith
Not just the teaching of faith or a particular body of doctrine, but the faith of the individual; the person’s persuasion that God is able to do what He promises. It is “our faith” that overcomes the world. “Our faith” is trusting in the promises of God. “The faith” is most likely the sound doctrine taught in the Bible.
Acts 14:22 “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’”
Acts 16:5 "So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number.”
1 Corinthians 16:13 "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 4:20 "yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God"
2 Corinthians 8:7 "But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge…"
Why Faith?
Because victory is in God not man. Therefore it is according to His promises not our ability. Faith is “being fully assured that what God had promised, He is able also to perform” (Romans 4:21). Faith is the victory because Jesus has overcome!!! When we are associated with Him, His victory becomes our victory. He alone is worthy of our praise.
Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
Romans 5:2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
1 Timothy 1:14 “and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”
WHO IS THE ONE WHO OVERCOMES BUT HE WHO BELIEVES JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD
Faith in the fact that Jesus is the Son of God will overcome the world. "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded" (1 Pet 2:6; Isa 28:16). For him that believes on or believes in Jesus, the world will not perplex or baffle or mystify him. He will be “grounded in faith”. God is able to keep those who believe in Him. No shame will come to the one bold enough to trust in Jesus. “For the Scripture says, ‘whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’”(Romans 10:11).
John 20:31 “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Acts 8:37 “And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”