Overcoming

(1 John 5:1-21)

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

July 11, 2010

 

I.  Introduction

A.  Please turn to 1 John 5:1.

B.  While you are turning ... 

            Martin Luther was once asked how he overcame the Devil.  He replied, "Well, when he comes knocking on the door of my heart, and asked, 'Who lives here?' the Lord Jesus goes to the door and says, 'Martin Luther used to live here but he has moved out.  Now I live here!'  The Devil, seeing the nail prints in My hands and My pierced side, takes flight immediately."[1]

 

John has written of fellowship, walking in the light, and abiding in Christ.  Today, John will conclude his letter with overcoming.

II.  Exposition

A.  Background

1.  We concluded last week the section (1 John 2:27-4:21) where John's emphasis is on abiding, maintaining an inward, enduring, personal, close communion with God. 

2.  In today's passage, John concludes this letter by writing about overcoming. John writes about the overcomer, overcoming faith, and overcoming prayer.

B.  Exposition: Overcoming (1 John 5:1-21)

1.  The overcomer (1 John 5:1-5)

a.  Born of God and loving the family of God (1 John 5:1-2)

                ^5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  ² By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments (1 John 5:1-2). 

 

1)    John gave us his definition of a Christian when he wrote that "whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." 

a)  John never adds anything to simple trust as a condition of salvation. 

i)  The Gk. word translated "believes" means "to consider someth[ing] to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust, believe."[2] 

ii)  We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. 

b)  This would answer the objection, "Sure, I am supposed to love my brother, but who is my brother?" 

c)  John would reply that your brother is anyone who simply believes that Jesus is the Christ. 

i)   The Gk. words translated "is born" and "born" are perfect tense verbs, i.e. the action took place in the past and the results continue to the present. 

ii)  This has been translated, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him" (NET).

d)  If one loves God, then one should love His children. 

i)  This love comes not from the lovability of the fellow believer, but from love for God.[3] 

ii)  Notice that John does not say that everyone who is born of God automatically loves those born of God. 

iii)  John is saying that lack of love for those who are God's children reveals a lack of love for the Father, not a lack of true conversion.

2)  One could object, "How do I know that I love the children of God?"  Is such love a matter of mere emotion? 

a)  John wrote that we know that we love the children of God when we meet two conditions: we love God, and we observe His commandments. 

b)  The Gk. word translated "know" is used "in contexts relating to familiarity acquired through experience."[4]  Wuest translates it, "we know experientially" (NTET). 

c)  The Gk. verbs translated "love" and "observe" are in the present tense indicating continual or habitual action.[5] 

i)  This has been translated, "This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands" (NIV). 

ii)  Obedience to all that God has told us to do is the yardstick of our love for God and His children. 

b.  Born of God and obeying God (1 John 5:3)

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). 

 

1)  John explains that these two criteria are really the same, because the love of God consists of keeping His commandments. 

a)  The "love of God" should be taken as "our love for God."[6] 

b)  This has been translated, "For this is what love for God is" (HCSB). 

c)  Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). 

d)  Love and obedience are inseparable.[7]

2)  One might object that God's commandments are too difficult. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "burdensome" literally means "heavy" and came to mean "a source of difficulty or trouble because of demands made."[8] 

b)  However, John would reply, "His commandments are not burdensome." 

i)  Jesus said, "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matt 11:30). 

ii)  The next verse gives us the reason that His commandments are not too difficult for us.

c.  Born of God and overcoming the world-system (1 John 5:4-5)

⁴ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5).

 

1)  The reason that God's commandments are not too difficult is that "whatever is born of God overcomes the world." 

a)  This refers to the new creature in Christ, and not to the saved individual, sinful nature and all.[9] 

i)  The Gk. words translated "whatever is born" are neuter. 

ii)  Therefore, the translation "whatever" (ASV, HCSB, KJV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, RSV, WEBSTER [1833]) is correct, not "everyone" (ESV, NAB, NET, NIV, NJB). 

iii)  The new creature in Christ has the power to do God's will.[10] 

b)  The Gk. word translated "overcomes" means "to win in the face of obstacles, be victor, conquer, overcome, prevail."[11] 

i)  It is a present tense verb.[12] 

ii)  With the Spirit's help, the new creature can emerge victorious over the world-system.

2)  John also wrote that our faith has conquered the world-system, "this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith." 

a)  This is an accomplished fact due to our union with the Victor, Christ, and our position in Him. 

i)  The past tense indicates that this already true.[13] 

ii)  This has been translated, "This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith" (NET). 

iii)  Paul wrote to the Colossians, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col 1:13). 

b)  The evil world-system (kosmos) and Satan are defeated every time someone comes to faith in Jesus Christ.[14]

3)  John teaches that the key to the Christian life is faith. 

a)  The Gk. verbs translated "overcomes" and "believes" are both in the present tense. 

b)  Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (Gal 2:20).

c)  Continuing overcoming depends on continuous faith, not relying upon our own strength.[15] 

2.  Overcoming faith (1 John 5:6-13)

a.  The witnesses (1 John 5:6-8)

                ⁶ This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.  It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  ⁷ For there are three that testify:  ⁸ the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement (1 John 5:6-8). 

 

1)  John explains that Jesus Christ's coming involves, not just His baptism (water), but also His death (blood). 

a)  The Cerinthian Gnostics believed that the Christ came upon the man Jesus, but left Him at the cross. 

i)  Therefore, while they could acknowledge that Jesus was Christ at His baptism, they would deny that Jesus was the Christ at His death. 

ii)  To their way of thinking, only the man Jesus died on the cross, not the Christ. 

iii)  That ripped the heart out of the gospel since a mere man could not die for everyone. 

b)  That is the reason that John emphasized that Jesus always was the Christ up to and including His death.[16] 

i)  One translation has, "And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross--not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony" (NLT). 

ii)  Any modern theology that makes Jesus Christ out to be a mere man suffers the same fatal flaw as those ancient heresies.

c)  John says that the Holy Spirit bears testimony to both the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. 

i)  The Spirit as to His essential nature is truth. 

(a)  This is similar to John saying that "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16), which meant that God's essential nature is loving.[17] 

(b)  Therefore, in the same way the Holy Spirit's essential nature is truth. 

(i)  Jesus called the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of truth" (John 15:26; 16:13).  This would be grammatically the same as calling the Spirit, "the truthful Spirit."[18] 

(ii)  Jesus Christ predicted that "when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me" (John 15:26). 

ii)  The Spirit of truth bears absolutely trustworthy testimony to Jesus Christ.

2)  John says that there are three witnesses to Jesus Christ. 

a)  The Law stipulated that "on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed" (Deut 19:15). 

b)  This is reminiscent of Jesus' dialogue in John 5:31-47 where He detailed His supporting witnesses.

3)  The KJV adds the words, "in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (8) And there are three that bear witness in earth."[19] 

a)  These words appear in only eight Gk. manuscripts the earliest of which is the tenth century. 

b)  Therefore, we can be certain that this addition does not belong in the NT.[20]

4)  John lists his witnesses to Jesus Christ as the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and notes that they all agree.

b.  The response to the witnesses (1 John 5:9-10)

⁹ If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son.  ¹⁰ The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son (1 John 5:9-10).

 

1)  John observes that we accept human testimony. 

a)  This is a first-class condition, i.e., if-and-it-is-the-case.[21] 

b)  In fact, we do commonly accept human testimony, and we should if it is credible. 

2)  John argues that we have even more reason to accept God's testimony concerning His Son. 

a)  "Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God" (NLT). 

b)  Jesus said, "the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me" (John 5:37).

3)  John starkly presents our only two options. 

a)  On one hand, the one who trusts in the Son of God has internalized the testimony.[22] 

b)  On the other hand, the one who refuses to trust God has acted as if He were a liar in that he has rejected the testimony that God has given about His Son.

c.  The testimony (1 John 5:11-13)

¹¹ And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  ¹² He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.  ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

 

1)  John says that the message that God has testified to is that He has given us eternal life, and that there is only one place to find that life, in His Son. 

a)  One translation has, "this life is found in his Son" (GW). 

b)  Eternal life is not merely life of endless duration. 

i)  The unsaved have that; or rather, they have eternal death. 

ii)  Eternal life is both an endless life and a quality of life. 

iii)  Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

2)  John explains that the one who has the Son has the higher life. 

a)  The Gk. translated "has" and "have" is in the present tense. 

i)  Eternal life is a present continuous possession.[23] 

ii)  It is not pie in the sky by and by when we die. 

b)  The original Gk. has a definite article before "life." 

i)  One translation has, "The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life" (NET). 

ii)  The Gk. word translated "life" (zōē) refers to "transcendent life" as contrasted with "life" (bios), which means "life and activity associated w[ith] it."[24] 

iii)  However, the one who does not have the Son dose not have this higher life.

3)  John explains that he has written this section to provide assurance of salvation.[25] 

a)  The Gk. word translated "know" means "to have information about....  to grasp the meaning of someth[ing], understand."[26]  It is primarily informational knowledge, not relational knowledge. 

i)  Wuest translates it as, "may know with an absolute knowledge" (NTET). 

ii)  Phillips paraphrases, "I have written like this to you who already believe in the name of God's Son so that you may be quite sure that, here and now, you possess eternal life" (NTME). 

b)  The promise of God is the basis for assurance of salvation. 

i)  Any attempt to ground assurance on our own performance simply make assurance impossible.[27] 

ii)  The first thing that John wants us to know as he concludes his letter is that believers have eternal life.[28]

3.  Overcoming prayer (1 John 5:14-19)

a.  Confidence in prayer (1 John 5:14-15)

                ¹⁴ This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him (1 John 5:14-15).

 

1)  John moves now to the confidence that we can have in prayer. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "confidence" is the same word that was used in 1 John 2:28; 3:21; 4:17.[29] 

b)  John explains that, if we ask anything according to His will, God will hear us. 

i)  The Gk. word translated "ask" here and in the next verse means "to ask for, with a claim on receipt of an answer, ask, ask for, demand."[30] 

(a)  One translation is, "We are confident that God listens to us if we ask for anything that has his approval" (GW). 

(b)  Phillips paraphrases, "we are certain that he hears every request that is made in accord with his own plan" (NTME). 

ii)  Pastor Chuck Smith comments:

            Prayer was never intended as a vehicle by which I can get my will done on the earth.  Prayer is the vehicle by which I cooperate with God in order to get His will done on the earth.  Even Jesus prayed, "not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39).

            I have an agreement with God.  If I ask God for anything that is not according to His will, I want Him to just ignore it.  Even if I get upset and pout and complain, ignore it![31]

 

iii)  James writes, "You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (Jas 4:2-3). 

iv)  Prayer is not a tool to get my will done; it is a means to get God's will done on earth.[32]

2)  John elaborates that, if God hears our requests, we have those requests. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "we know" is primarily informational knowledge, not experiential knowledge. 

b)  Wuest translates, "we know with an absolute knowledge" (NTET). 

c)  This is a first-class condition, i.e., if-and-it-is-the-case.[33] 

d)  The second thing that John wants believers to know is that God answers prayer.

b.  Prayer for a sinning believer (1 John 5:16-17)

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.  ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death (1 John 5:16-17).

 

1)  John tells us to pray for a sinning brother or sister, if their sin does not lead to immediate death, and John promises that God will give them life. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "pray" is the same word as "ask" in the previous two verses, and means "to ask for, with a claim on receipt of an answer." 

b)  However, John points out that some sin leads to physical death.[34] 

i)  OT examples include Nadab and Abihu who disobeyed God (Lev 10:1-7), and Uzzah who touched the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sam 6). 

ii)  NT examples include Ananias and Sapphira who lied (Acts 5:1-11), and the Corinthians who had disrespected the Lord's Super (1 Cor 11:30). 

iii)  He is not speaking of a particular sin, but rather, he is referring to a quality of sin.[35] 

c)  Even though he does not command prayer for that quality of sin, John does not forbid it.[36] 

i)  John does use a weaker term for prayer. 

ii)  The Gk. word translated "should make request" means simply "to put a query to someone, ask, ask a question....  to ask for someth[ing]."[37]

2)  John explains that he is not reducing the seriousness of all sin, but he is saying that not all sin is of such a quality as to lead to death.  This has been translated, "All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death" (NIV).

c.  Confidence the new creation is beyond Satan's grasp (1 John 5:18-19)

¹⁸ We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.  ¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:18-19).

 

1)  John reminds us that sin does not have its source in the new creation in Christ. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "we know" is primarily informational knowledge, not experiential knowledge. 

b)  Wuest translates, "we know absolutely" (NTET). 

2)  If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the real you does not and cannot sin.[38] 

3)  Moreover, that seed of God within us keeps us safe.[39] 

a)  The evil one cannot even touch the new creature in Christ. 

b)  This has been translated, "the evil one cannot harm him" (NIV).[40] 

c)  The third thing that John wants us to know is that the new creature in Christ, the real you, does not sin.

4)  John contrasts the believer who knows that he or she is from God with the entire world that is under Satan's power. 

a)  The Gk. word translated "we know" is primarily informational knowledge, not experiential knowledge.  Wuest translates, "we know with an absolute knowledge" (NTET). 

b)  The Gk. word translated "world" (kosmos) refers to the evil world-system arrayed against God. 

c)  The Gk. word translated "lies" means "to be in a recumbent position, lie, recline."[41] 

i)  This is a passive verb. 

ii)  Satan has rocked the world-system to sleep.[42]

d)  The fourth thing that John wants us to know is that the Christian life is the real life as opposed to the world-system's Satanic delusion.

4.  The true God, Jesus Christ (1 John 5:20-21)

                ²⁰ And we know 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, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life.  ²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols (1 John 5:20-21).

 

a.  John concludes that the Son of God came and gave us insight so that we might be able to know the true God experientially. 

1)  The Gk. word translated "we know" is primarily informational knowledge, not experiential knowledge.  Wuest translates, "we know with an absolute knowledge" (NTET). 

2)  The Gk. word translated "understanding" means "the faculty of thinking, comprehending, and reasoning, understanding."[43] 

3)  The Gk. word translated "know" the second time is used "in contexts relating to familiarity acquired through experience."[44] 

a)  Wuest translates, "may be knowing in an experiential way" (NTET). 

b)  Jesus Christ has given us insight so that we might have a personal relationship with both Him and God the Father.

b.  John explains that, as believers, we are both in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. 

1)  The Gk. pronoun translated "this one" refers to "the person or thing comparatively near at hand in the discourse material, this, this one."[45] 

2)  Therefore, John is clearly saying that Jesus Christ "is the true God and eternal life."[46] 

3)  This has been correctly translated, "He [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life" (BBE, DARBY, ESV, HCSB, NAB, NIV, NRSV). 

4)  One translation even has, "This Jesus Christ is the real God and eternal life" (GW).

c.  Therefore, since Jesus Christ is the true God, John admonishes them to avoid all idols or false gods. 

1)  This has been translated, "Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts" (NLT).[47] 

2)  Peterson paraphrases, "Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles" (MESSAGE). 

3)  Wiersbe comments, "The thing we serve is the thing we worship!  Whatever controls our lives and 'calls the signals' is our god."[48] 

4)  Jesus Christ is the real thing; we must accept no substitutes!

III.  Applications:

A.  Jesus Christ ...

1.  Is the true God and eternal life

2.  Desires a personal relationship with us

B.  To us ...

1.  The first thing John wants us to know that believers have eternal life.

2.  The second thing John wants believers to know is that God answers prayer.

3.  The third thing John wants believers to know is that the new creature in Christ, the real you, does not sin.

4.  The fourth thing John wants believers to know is that the Christian life is the real life.

5.  Our faith overcomes the world-system.