Welcome to afaithtalk, where all we do is try to grow our faith. This delightful and short letter is what I’m taking a walk through today. Come join me and see if we can make any connections or at least encourage our faith.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, I know this chapter is what You’ve asked me to study. I know there are many things to see within it. So I ask, show me what to do, tell me where to start and where to stop, what to highlight and what not to point out. Thank You for choosing it and for the wonders and blessing contained in this short chapter. Reveal how You want me to walk through this. Thank You, Jesus.
1 John 5:1-5 first read it.
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 In fact, this is love for God: to keep 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 the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Verse 1:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God.
Everyone who loves the father, loves his child as well.
Memory: There’s a very short couple verses in John’s Gospel where Jesus is saying something from the other side of this: Let’s check it out. John 15:18-25 (because it makes more sense if we start at 18)
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
Verse 2-3a:
This is how we know that we love the children of God:
by loving God and carrying out his commands.
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.
Verses 3b-5
And his commands are not burdensome,
for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world,
even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Skip down to verses 1 John 5:13-21
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
We know that we are children of God,
and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true.
And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and eternal life.
Do you know how to be in Jesus? Jesus discussed that as well in John 15. Here’s just a little of it, I recommend you go and read the whole chapter.
John 15:9-10
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
John refers to himself as the ‘beloved’. It’s evident in his writing that he knows he’s loved. He can’t help but overflow in it. Look how he ends this letter.
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
Dear children.
Yes, he knows he’s beloved. Do you know you are as well?
Keep yourself from idols.
Do you know that what an idol is is anything that takes your focus, your thoughts, off of Jesus for an extended amount of time.
Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world. Faith is our victory. Faith is what you have to have. Believe.