1 John 5:1-5 ESV
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Context, Context,
Context
You will hear me say
this over again. We can’t remove Scriptures from their context and build
doctrines around them. This isn’t saying that we can’t quote individual
Scriptures or reference individual Scriptures, but that we need to use and to
teach the Scriptures within their proper context.
So, we can’t read
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” and apply
that broadly to everyone who makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For,
we need to understand what the Scriptures teach regarding genuine faith in
Jesus Christ.
In the book of 1
John alone we learn that if we claim to have fellowship with God but we walk
(in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin, wickedness) that we are liars who
don’t live by the truth. And we read that if we say we know him, but we don’t
practice obeying his commandments (New Covenant), that we are liars, and the
truth is not in us (1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6).
We also read that if
we love (prefer) the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life – that the love of God the Father is not in us. And then we
read that if we make a practice of sinning against God that we do not abide in
Christ and he does not abide in us. But it is those who practice righteousness
who are righteous (1 Jn 2:15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10).
Now, it isn’t just the book of 1 John which teaches this.
Paul taught the same all throughout his writings. He taught that we must die
with Christ to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness and that if we
walk according to the flesh we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to
death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live (Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom
8:1-17; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10, etc.).
Born of God
If we are truly born of God, born of the Spirit of God to
new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, we will love God. And to love God is to
obey him. If we do not make obedience to our Lord our practice, then we don’t
love God and we don’t know God (1 Jn 2:3-6).
Also, if we love God then we are going to love those who
have also been born of God. In fact, we should love all people for God is love,
and he is living within us, so his love is living within us. But this is not
human love. This is not some mushy gushy feeling we must have for people.
The kind of love we are to have for others is the kind which
prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, just, merciful,
gracious, kind, pure, honest, faithful, and trustworthy. So, we are not going
to lie to, cheat on, steal from, slander, commit adultery against and/or murder
others.
Instead, we will love others as God/Jesus loves us and gave
his life up for us. We will be kind, compassionate, merciful, and gracious. We will
care about others’ legitimate needs. And we will share with them the truth of
the gospel so that they can know Jesus and have eternal life with him, too.
Our Christian brothers and sisters we will encourage in
their walks of faith and we will exhort and urge them to follow Jesus in
obedience and to forsake their sins. And we will expose to them the lies of
Satan, and we will proclaim to them the truth so that they are not led astray
by the devil.
We are Overcomers
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be those who
overcome the world. What this means is that we don’t let the world and its
enticements overcome us. We are not captivated by the sinful pleasures of the
world, and we are not taken in by all its entertainment and distractions.
We don’t blend in with the world. We don’t do all the same
things that they do. We don’t watch and listen to and participate in all the
same things that non-Christians watch, listen to, and participate in. We are to
be holy – separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed
to the likeness of Jesus Christ.
So, this also means that we don’t make sin our practice. We
don’t commit adultery, lust after others, tell lies, gossip, cheat others and
view what is lewd, immoral, and wicked in order to be entertained. And we don’t
compromise the truth of the gospel to excuse away habitual sin, either.
But we walk (in conduct, in practice) in righteousness and
holiness, in the light of truth and godliness. And we do what pleases our Lord,
not what pleases our flesh, and not what pleases the people of this world so
that they will like us and not reject us.
So, how do we do we overcome the world? By faith in Jesus
Christ. And that faith dies with Christ to sin and lives to Christ and to his
righteousness. And that faith walks in obedience to the Lord’s commands (New
Covenant), and it loves others with the love of God. And that is how we
overcome.
I
Will Lift My Eyes
An
Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based
off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not
sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with
Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we
need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend,
indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
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