1 John 5:1 - 5
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,
and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well.
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God;
by loving God and carrying out His commands.
3 This is love for God: to obey His commands.
And His commands are not burdensome,
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
What does believing DO to us? What does it do FOR us?
Part of the answer is in the first verse above.
It gives us a NEW BIRTH into GOD'S FAMILY!
Believing that Jesus is the Christ means that we believe He is the Messiah, the Anointed One, the One whom God promised in the Old Testament would come to bring salvation to all people.
Another part of the answer is in the last two verses above.
It helps us to OVERCOME the WORLD!
Believing that Jesus is the Son of God will bring us the ultimate victory over literally EVERYTHING this life throws at us.
In this blog entry, I simply want to write about these two parts of the answer to the question I started with.
There are many verses even just in this small book of 1 John that show the relationship between God the Father and Jesus His Son. 1 John 2:22 shows that to deny that Jesus is the Christ is to fully deny both His power and the power of God. The basis for our faith is to believe that Jesus is who both Himself and His Father said He was – Jesus, God’s Son – the One who will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus, while He was on Earth, said that He was the Son of God. God also spoke in a voice from Heaven, testifying that this was indeed true:
And a voice from Heaven said,
"This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased."
Matthew 3:17
Last time, as I ended my studies of chapter 4, I was left with the command, given by God, which said
"Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
1 John 4:21
Now, here in verse 1, I see that if I believe in Jesus, I've been born of God. That makes Him my new (and eternal) Father! This is pretty exciting, because being His child comes with some pretty huge blessings, promises and benefits (maybe one day I will have to dedicate a blog – or several – just to outlining as many of those as I can find!). One thing that comes with having God as our Father is that we have brothers and sisters, people who also believe, and so, who are also children of God. To me, this is pretty exciting too, because I think that one of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is siblings! Verse 1 finishes off by saying that if we love the Father, we will also love His child. I had to read and study that for a while to make sure I was understanding who this was referring to correctly. Jesus is His child, but, so are we, as believers, God's children.
My version of the Bible does not capitalize pronouns referring to the Godhead, but I have another version that does. I just wanted to make sure I knew whether this was referring to what we had left off with in chapter 4 - our spiritual brothers and sisters - or to God's begotten child - His Son Jesus. Two other versions put v.1b like this:
"...and everyone who loves the Father
loves whoever has been born of Him."
English Standard Version
"...and everyone who loves Him who begot
also loves him who is begotten of Him."
New King James Version
So...the question: As a child of God, do you love all other children of God? Maybe you are having a hard time with it, and you know that honestly, no –you really don't. This is cause for concern, but the good news is that you can read and reread this short book of the Bible and jot down everything you can find about loving others, and present it all to God in prayer. Ask Him to GIVE you that kind of love - for "love comes from God" (ch. 4:7)! He will do it! And this will greatly increase the joy in your life. Maybe, for the first time, you will experience the love of God transforming your life! Also, this love that will grow in you towards God’s people will be evidence to you and to others that you have been born of God, and that you know God – that you bear His Name!
Maybe you do love the children of God, but like all of us, some days and some people are easier (or harder) than others. This is normal, and God will continue His work of sanctification in all of our lives. The Lord knows how we must battle against the sinful tendencies in our lives. That's why He gives us direction and encouragement in His Word. Hebrews 4:15 says,
"For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses..."
The key is to come before Him often, asking Him to help you in this. Hebrews 4:16 says,
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need."
We are told that when we love God and carry out His commands, we will love all of God's people. One of my favourite ways to work on getting better at carrying out God's commands is to read and reread the letters written to the believers in the New Testament. After the book of Acts, there are 22 books of the Bible that are packed full of information on how to grow in one's walk with the Lord. I love the sections that talk about learning to live "in step" with the Holy Spirit. I'm not going to give any references here, because, honestly, you've got to find these for yourselves, if you are blessed to own a Bible, by just starting to read! The key sometimes is to read slowly, pondering over what you read, thinking about it throughout the day, and taking the Scriptures you read and praying them for yourself and others. For instance, I can read a verse like 1 Peter 4:8 -
"Above all, love each other deeply..."
and then maybe when I see the word love, I remember what I was reading in 1 Corinthians 13:5, about how:
"love...is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
I can pray - "Lord, help me to love my spouse like that, my co-workers like that, my children like that." I can ask God to work in me a heart that isn't rude (the fruit of the Spirit called kindness comes to mind), to give me a heart that thinks of others first, and not my own desires. I can ask for self-control when I feel anger rising up, and also patience and rational thought processes. I can ask for a heart of forgiveness like His when I'm tempted to justify my lack of love by listing the offences someone has committed against me.
To me, that's "carrying out His commands". It's taking what His Word says, and applying it to the situation I'm in right now, at this moment!
Loving God = Obeying Him
Carrying Out His Commands = Loving Others
It all goes hand in hand. It's simple enough for a child to understand. It just takes lifelong commitment, consistency, and perseverance to carry out! It takes getting back up and trying again when I fail! It takes remembering 1 John 2:1 and 2, which say:
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father
in our defense - Jesus Christ the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours
but also for the sins of the whole world."
This next part, chapter 5:3b, might be one of my favourite reminders!
"And His commands are not burdensome,"
At first thought, it might sometimes seem like God's commands are burdensome. For me, every time I try to carry them out in my own strength, by my own sheer will power, they are incredibly difficult, and yes, burdensome. It takes leaving the work of it to Jesus. We just need to be willing, and then when we learn to let the Holy Spirit do the work, all of a sudden all the things that were so hard end up being the very things that actually lift the burden right off of our backs. Learning to love when before there was resentment, bitterness, or disgust is way easier on a person. A person always walks lighter where there is love - a fruit that only the Holy Spirit can grow in us.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 - 30,
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Those verses tell me so much! I can't do it alone - I need to go to Jesus. I need to lay down all I've been carrying apart from Him, and exchange it for what He will give. I need to be teachable, willing to learn. If He is gentle and humble, I will need to learn those character traits too. Once I've come to Him, once I've gotten to the point where I'm willing to take the yoke He offers, once I've decided I want to learn to be like Him, I'm promised rest. I need to take that rest. I need to seek it! I need to REST in that rest!
He says that His yoke is easy. He says that His burden is light. I imagine a dad helping his little boy carry a heavy load. The load would be really heavy if it was left to the boy to carry alone, but it's not, because he's walking along with his dad, putting his effort into it for sure, but the dad's strong arms are reaching around and carrying the brunt of it. And for the dad, the load is fine. He's perfectly capable of taking the heft of the load and lightening it for his son. That's what Jesus does. He takes the load right off our backs and carries it for us.
There's a song - "Burdens are lifted at Calvary..." That's where it starts, and when we feel the load getting heavy, burdensome, we need to get back there to spend some time at the foot of the Cross, seeking the rest He offers.
This, to me, is the responsibility that comes with being a child of God. We've been given the blessings, and to make the most of those blessings, we've got to do our part in living in obedience to our Father, responsibly. There's that saying, and I believe it's applicable everywhere:
With privilege comes responsibility
but really, the privilege by far pays for the small part we are to do, which is really just to come to Him! It does take faith to come, but He even helps us with that part, supplying us with the faith it takes to believe so we can, and will, come.
Here's the next part: What our faith does FOR us:
"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world,
even our faith."
That's us, as God's children! We are OVERCOMERS!! With God, we can do it!
All of this takes faith. What makes us overcomers is our faith! Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is what makes us sons of God. That belief, and that standing that we have as sons of the Living God, is what will help us overcome victoriously EVERYTHING that the world can throw at us. That's what we've been promised! I just can't help but think here that the thing everyone really probably wants is to overcome the world. I think of people like Alexander the Great, and many others like him, who dedicated their lives to conquering the world. That's what they wanted... but we've been given the key as to HOW to go about doing it so that it will be a sure victory, and so that it will last forever. We don't have to wonder if, in the end, we will succeed. So many people who have set out to conquer have ended in total defeat. Their hopes and dreams have had to plummet as they saw real life taking over where they just weren't strong enough to do it. But we see that our faith is the victory that HAS (past tense) already overcome. Christ was always the Victor. Satan kind of thought he could win the battle, but Jesus' work on the cross was the final victory. We also already see in the book of Revelation the final end of Satan's defeat. With his defeat, all that this world contains is also eternally defeated. A set of verses that I have been pondering for the last couple of years is Hebrews 12:26 – 28, which say:
“At that time His voice shook the Earth, but now He has promised,
“Once more I will shake not only the Earth but also the heavens.”
The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken
– that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably
with reverence and awe…”
To me, what those verses say is that literally everything we did and worked for that was not a part of the “kingdom of Heaven” will be destroyed (shaken). Those things will not remain. It says that “created things” are the things that can be shaken, but that the kingdom that we are receiving cannot be. Only what we are putting into His kingdom will remain. For some, that will be little, or nothing at all, and for others, that will be lots. I’m reminded of the verses in Matthew 6:19 – 21, which say:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus is the One who offers complete, sure victory! What we invest into His kingdom, as His children, will stand! Do you have faith to believe? That's all it will take to get started!
Originally, I had planned to include more verses in this blog entry, but I feel that I need to pause for a while to let this simple, yet all important truth sink in. I need to ponder my faith. I feel that I often tend to make it complicated, when it really isn't. I want to drink in Jesus' words from Matthew 11, the ones I mentioned before, and just let Him fill me with peace. I want to rest for awhile from the striving that I so often resort to. I want to learn from Him, and learn to be like Him (don't worry, I won't wait to write again until I have that all figured out perfectly, because then I would have to wait to write again until Heaven!). I just want to let it sit for a bit. Maybe you will want to do the same.
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In closing though, I want to dedicate this entry to an overcomer who is already on the other side. 1 John 5:4 was a cherished verse to my grandma. Even in her dying days, she clung to that verse. Because of her faith, she was "sure of what she hoped for, certain of what she did not see" (Hebrews 11:1), but by now that hope has been realized for her. We are told in 1 Corinthians 13:12 that "now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face." She is seeing like that now already. In her death, she has seen the overcoming victory of her faith in Jesus in all its glory, and she has been brought to her forever life. The promises she clung to and was sure of have been fulfilled – she's been made complete! And one day… so will I! My prayer is that you will to!
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6
FAITH IS THE VICTORY
John H. Yates
Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
His banner over us is love,
Our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er every field;
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
On every hand the foe we find
Drawn up in dread array;
Let tents of ease be left behind,
And onward to the fray.
Salvation’s helmet on each head,
With truth all girt about,
The earth shall tremble ’neath our tread,
And echo with our shout.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
To him that overcomes the foe,
White raiment shall be giv’n;
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in heav’n.
Then onward from the hills of light,
Our hearts with love aflame,
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus’ conqu’ring name.
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory,
That overcomes the world.
Great post, Lenora. I especially like the tribute you give to your Grandma.
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