Whoever Has Been Born of God

“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?” (1 John 5:1-5 ESV).

Now, again, I would caution all of us against taking small sections of 1 John out of context and interpreting them in ways that are not consistent with the teachings of 1 John, as a whole. For, believing that Jesus is the Christ is much more than just an intellectual acknowledgment of him or of an emotional decision to “believe” in him in order to escape hell and to have heaven promised us for when we die. For if we truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, we will submit to his Lordship over our lives.

For, to recap, if anyone of us claims to be in fellowship with God but while we walk in darkness, i.e. while we conduct our lives in sinful practices, deliberately and habitually, we are liars. And if anyone of us claims that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments (New Covenant), in practice, then we are liars. For no one who abides in Christ keeps on sinning, making sin his practice. And it is those who practice the righteousness of God who are righteous in the sight of God, not those who give lip service.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; cf. Romans 6:1-23]

So, to be born of God is much more than just professing faith in Jesus Christ. For we read in 1 John 3 that no one born of God makes a practice of sinning and that whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. And this is taught all throughout the New Testament. Paul taught it quite regularly. For he said that if sin is what we obey that it will lead to death, not to life eternal, and that those who make a practice of sinning will not inherit eternal life with God. He said this over again, and so much more.

Some of what Paul taught: [Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-11,58; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6,16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14,21-23; Col 3:5-11; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 2 Tim 2:10-13,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31] 

And to love God is to obey him. To know God is to obey him. Obedience to our Lord is stressed all throughout the New Testament as critical to our salvation and eternal life with God. For the Scriptures give us the example of the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness who were living in sin and who did not obey the Lord. They were categorized as those of “unbelief” (1 Co 10:1-22). So the Scriptures couple disobedience with unbelief, and obedience with faith which saves (see noted verses above and these below).

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

And then it teaches us here that everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, i.e. the trappings of this sinful world, the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). And to overcome is to conquer, to prevail over, to be victorious over, to subdue. This means that we are no longer walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, but now by the Spirit we are walking according to and in agreement with the Spirit of God in how we live our lives (Romans 8:1-14).

And how do we do this? By faith in Jesus Christ. And what is that faith? Well, it comes from God (Hebrews 12:1-2), and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13). And we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first persuades us and draws us to faith in Christ (John 6:44). And since this faith is from God, is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own flesh, it is going to agree with God’s will and purpose for our lives.

And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if sin is what we practice, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have eternal life. For Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

Teach Me, Lord  

An Original Work / June 12, 2011

Teach me, Lord, to walk in Your ways,

And observe all You command.

May I ever hasten to You,

And desire to not offend.

Teach me how to follow Your steps,

Gently guiding me each day.

May I love and serve You always,

Loving others, this I pray.

Teach me, Lord, to listen to You

Speaking Your words to my heart.

May I never stray from Your truth,

And from Your law ne’er depart.

Teach me how to instruct others

In the way that we should go,

Leading them by my life witness,

So that Jesus they should know.

Teach me, Lord, to be a light in

This dark world of grief and sin.

May I always care for others;

Share their burdens; help to mend.

Teach me how to share with them that

Jesus came to set them free,

So that they could be forgiven;

Live with Christ eternally. 

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