Who is the one who is victorious and overcomes the world? It is the one who believes and recognizes the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:5 AMP
Welcome to afaithtalk.com, I’m so glad you’ve come to Tuesday Bible Study. This week we’re in the final chapter of 1 John. What a delightful letter this has been. If you’re behind in the study, go here and find where you last left us.
I hope you can tell from the verse introducing this lesson that this chapter should be very encouraging. But before we start, let’s pray:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for these words, this book, the way You’re going to lead this lesson and the reminder today that pleasing You should be my highest goal. Lead me, Lord. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
Please read 1 John 5:1 AMP.
Overcoming the World
1 Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves [a]the child born of Him.
Real belief is a deep abiding trust that Jesus is the Messiah.
Everyone who loves the Father also loves Jesus and all those of faith in Christ.
Please read 1 John 5:2-3 AMP.
2 By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments. 3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey].
Loving God and obeying Him are what true children of God do. For true love of God is habitually keeping His commandments and remaining focused on His precepts.
Please read 1 John 5:4-5 AMP.
4 For [b]everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]. 5 Who is the one who is victorious and overcomes the world? It is the one who believes and recognizes the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.
1 John 5:4-5 NKJV
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
These are verses we should really focus on. So according to the AMP, what is a characteristic of faith? It’s _________________ and ______________
Who overcomes the world? The one who ____________ and _______________ the ______ that Jesus is the _______________________.
Faith is the most important thing you have and the most longed for thing God wants to find on this earth.
Luke 18:8b NIV
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
If you don’t have faith, ask for it. If you do believe, exercise it. What can you do to follow what these two verses say?
Please read 1 John 5:6 AMP.
6 This is He who came through water and blood [His baptism and death], Jesus Christ—not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. It is the [Holy] Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. [He is the essence and origin of truth itself.]
John 1:32-34 NIV
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John 1:29-34 AMP
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah]; but I came baptizing in water so that He would be [publicly] revealed to Israel.” John gave [further] evidence [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah], but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this One is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have [actually] seen [that happen], and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!”
John writes so we may know and believe. This same Chosen One, this same One the Spirit fell on in John the Baptists witness, is the same One who ‘who came through water and blood’. The One who deserves all of our faith.
Please read 1 John 5:7-10 AMP.
7 For there are three witnesses: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three are in agreement [their testimony is perfectly consistent]. 9 If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [that is, if we are willing to take the sworn statements of fallible humans as evidence], the testimony of God is greater [far more authoritative]; for this is the testimony of God, that He has testified regarding His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies confidently on Him as Savior] has the testimony within himself [because he can speak authoritatively about Christ from his own personal experience]. The one who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him [out to be] a liar, because he has not believed in the evidence that God has given regarding His Son.
Verse 10: The one who believes in the Son of God has what? Displayed by what?
Personal experience. That’s why you have to exercise your faith so that your life is filled with things you can testify to others about how God in Christ is in You, doing things with and for you. Generally we say testimony is about what God has done for me, most often those experiences aren’t directly for you, but for others through you. So testify to what He has done for you.
Please read 1 John 5:11 AMP.
11 And the testimony is this: God has given us eternal life [we already possess it], and this life is in His Son [resulting in our spiritual completeness, and eternal companionship with Him].
God has already given us eternal life in His Son. It’s in the Son, Jesus, that you can find it. And life in Him is bringing us to completeness with His eternal companionship that exists now and forever.
Please read 1 John 5:12 AMP.
12 He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life.
Yep, it’s that clear. If you have Jesus, you have life. If you don’t, you don’t. And oh my if you read the Revelation study I did here, you should know, not everyone will be saved, many do not believe. There is only one way to eternal life. Jesus.
Please read 1 John 5:13 AMP.
This Is Written That You May Know
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [which represents all that Jesus Christ is and does], so that you will know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have eternal life.
There is no reason to fear, if you have Jesus, you already are assured of eternal life. You can have absolutely settled knowledge that you already have eternal life.
Please read 1 John 5:14-15 AMP.
14 This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that [c]if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us. 15 And if we know [for a fact, as indeed we do] that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.
Yep, we can have a remarkable degree of confidence. The curious thing is, how many of our prayers are ‘consistent with His plan and purpose’? It’s those prayers we can be certain will be answered; they are already granted requests.
Not that you can’t just talk to Him about everything, but still, pay close attention to what you ask.
And how can you know His plan and purpose? Read Scripture.
Please read 1 John 5:16-17 AMP.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he will pray and ask [on the believer’s behalf] and God will for him give life to those whose sin is not leading to death. There is a sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for this [kind of sin]. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death [one can repent of it and be forgiven].
All wrongdoing is sin.
‘since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,’ Romans 3:23
Repentance is the response we must have to our sin. For all of it is against God. Repent, for you have been forgiven. But, there is a sin that leads to death. I suspect it’s this:
Matthew 12:32 (Jesus speaking)
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Please read 1 John 5:18 AMP.
18 We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Praise His Name. Jesus carefully keeps and protects His people. That is how we can say we are always and eternally safe. In Him, really.
John 15:5 (Jesus speaking)
“I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”
John 6:37-40 (Jesus speaking)
“All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me]. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but that I [give new life and] raise it up at the last day. For this is My Father’s will and purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him [as Savior] will have eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day.”
Please read 1 John 5:19-21 AMP.
19 We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts]. 20 And we [have seen and] know [by personal experience] that the Son of God has [actually] come [to this world], and has given us understanding and insight so that we may [progressively and personally] know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].
‘We have seen and know by personal experience’… well, yes, John has, we can’t see yet, we can also have personal experience. That’s what I call exercising faith, because He is always with us so He knows when we are exercising faith and it is precious to Him and He always wants to bless us in some way and exercising faith is always blessed.
Footnotes
- 1 John 5:1 This could refer either to other born-again believers or to Jesus.
- 1 John 5:4 Lit everything that is. John uses the Greek neuter to underscore the fact that everyone who has been born again, regardless of gender or age, is victorious over the world.
- 1 John 5:14 Confident, abiding faith combined with God’s power can produce amazing results, if the request is in harmony with God’s will. God is fully capable of doing that which man regards as impossible (Mark 14:36; James 4:3).
May your faith grow with each verse you read and follow John’s last statement…Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
Some helpful links…