Faith that overcomes the world…
1 John 5:4-5
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (WEB)
In Revelation chapter 2-3, Jesus addresses seven churches. With each church, there is a promise for all who overcome. In times past, I have been intimidated by these promises because I have felt that they were somewhat conditional in nature… ‘If’ I overcome, I will get a new name… ‘If’ I overcome, I will get a white stone, etc.
In today’s Scripture reading, the Apostle John tells us that whatever is born of God overcomes the world. The qualifier to be listed as an overcomer is simply our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ… period. There is nothing that we can add to what Jesus has already done and there is nothing that we can do to subtract from it either.
All we are called to do is simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our heavenly Father does the rest. Because we are joined to Jesus, our victory is safe and secure in Him. Our ability to overcome in our own strength has nothing to do with the matter. The truth is that we are already overcomers because we have been born into an overcoming family.
My prayer today is that every believer would know that it is their faith in Christ that overcomes the world, not their faith in their own ability to keep saved. It started with our elder brother and it will finish with Him. The more that we can believe this to be the simple truth of the gospel, the more that we will be able to yield to the overcoming power that is already at work in our lives.
The truth is that we are ‘more than conquerors through Him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37). May we all start living our lives based on this truth rather than living our lives in accordance to the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) that is continually lying about our true nature in Christ (John 8:41-44).
Ephesians 2:8-10
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. (WEB)
