Faith is the Victory 1John 5:4-12
REVIEW
I. THE GOD OF LIGHT AND HIS CHILDREN OF LIGHT 1-2
II. THE GOD OF LOVE & HIS CHILDREN OF LOVE 3-4
III. MARVELOUS MARKS OF THE NEW BIRTH 5
Continuous belief or trust in Christ is one of the marks of a truly born again child of God. Victory over the world’s influence through faith or trust is also a mark of new birth.
John states that…
Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ is born of God
At first glance, this passage seems to teach that believing is the cause of new birth. That is the clear teaching of other passages. However, a closer examination of this passage and a proper understanding of the verb tenses used here teach that believing is a consequence of new birth rather than a cause of it. John used a present tense form of the word for believing. You can spot a true child of God by a lifestyle of continuing trust in God. Everyone who is in the habit of believing God is because they have been reborn as children of God at a point in time and they still are His children. We seem to find on both sides of the new birth. Faith seems to be both a cause and consequence of new birth.
Just as it takes a charge from the battery to start the engine, a running engine charges the battery. The old-fashioned wells needed water to prime the pump in order to generate more water. Genuine children of God become children through faith and continue to live by faith after birth. Continuing faith is a mark of the new birth. Victory over the pull of the world system is also a mark of new birth.
For all that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God?
Every child of God is victorious over the world.
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Our daily trust in the person and work of Christ enables us to rise above the circumstances and philosophy of the world. The confidence that we serve Jesus the eternal Son of God enables us to overcome anything we may face in this world.
Where is your trust? What or who do you depend upon to get you through the day? Where do you turn when life in this fallen world threatens to crush your very soul? There is victory.
We can overcome. There is victory in Jesus! Who is Jesus? How do I know that he was truly the son of God? Was He really God’s son?
John takes the next 7 verses to discuss three undisputed witnesses to the person and work of Christ.
This is the One having come 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. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 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. 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. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:6-12
Every fact must be confirmed by two or three witnesses. John Himself was a witness to the person of Christ.
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1-3
Peter adds his testimony and witness.
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
In addition to these human witnesses, there was the witness of the Father. John assures his readers that God’s testimony is worth more than human testimony. He provided three corroborating witnesses to the person and work of Jesus Christ. John identifies the witness as the water, the blood and the Spirit. There are various interpretations suggested for this passage.
The key to understanding this passage lies in the central figures – The father bearing witness concerning the Son.
The Father bore witness at the baptism of Jesus (water).
The Father bore witness of Jesus at the crucifixion of Jesus (blood).
The Father bore witness of Jesus by sending the Holy Spirit as a perpetual witness of Jesus before, during and after His coming to earth.
The Father spoke and the Spirit manifested at His baptism.
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Matthew 3:16-17
John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. John 1:32
The Father manifested at the crucifixion.
The sky turned dark (Mat 27:45).
The veil of the temple was split (matt 27:51)
There were clear supernatural indications this was no ordinary execution.
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" Matthew 27:54
The Father spoke again at the m9ount of transfiguration where the coming death of Christ was the focus.
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid." And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. Matt 17:5-13
The Holy Spirit was present at His birth, baptism and evident in His ministry.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38
And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:17-21
It is the Holy Spirit that would come after Jesus to bear continual witness of Him.
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
He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. John 16:14
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:16
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 1 John 4:13
It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 1 John 5:6
The Father used these to bear witness concerning the person and work of Christ. Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came to this earth to give us life and bear our sin.
The water and the blood and the Spirit continue to bear witness to Jesus today. Perhaps the place of the water, the blood and the Spirit in our own experience continues to bear witness to our connection to and belief in Jesus. We demonstrate our faith in Christ by our own water baptism. We continue to demonstrate our faith in the sacrifice of Christ by regular observance of the Lord’s Supper. We are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit and are urged to live victorious by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit in the inner man manifesting His gifts to the building of the body of Christ.
Our faith is not a belief in nothing. It is not a leap of faith. It is a belief based on the witness of the Father. Faith is based on hearing the facts and the facts may be found in the Word of God.
The power of faith is in its object. It is not faith in faith as just a concept. It is faith in a reliable object. New Age teachers advocate faith in faith. Faith is not just believing in something or anything.
What we believe in, is of the greatest importance. The object of our faith determines the outcome of our faith. It is not the act of trusting but who I trust that makes the difference. I can have fervent faith in a doorknob that will prove disastrous. Or I can have feeble faith in the Son of the living God and come out absolutely victorious.
What is faith?
The Greek noun is usually translated into our English words "faith, trust, belief”.
The verb is translated into English by the words "believe", "trust", "commit", "entrust".
The basic idea has to do with assurance, confidence, trust, a firm idea or belief or settled conviction.
You exercised faith in your car, your legs, your food, your tires, your steps, your church, your eyes. Genuine belief or faith engages the whole person. (Immaterial) Mind, emotion, will
(Material) action.
Mere intellectual assent is not complete trust. (Demons believe and emotionally respond to God)
Irrational emotion does not constitute true faith. Strong desire is still incomplete. Not until we actually act upon our belief does it qualify as Biblical faith. Actually that is true of anything.
Until we are willing to actually act, we don’t really believe. The action is not the faith. The action only demonstrates the genuineness of the faith.
Faith has to do with action based on a decision to fully rely on a person or thing motivated by past experience, character, observation or a promise.
A Bible translator struggled with finding a receptor word for belief as the language did not have such word. One day one of natives came into the translators hut exhausted and plopped down into the chair and put up us feet on the stool exclaiming something about dropping his full weight on the chair. The translator finally had his word for faith.
We make a decision to entrust our full weight on Jesus based on the truth (data) of His Word.
God never asks us to trust based on absence of data. He doesn’t always give us everything up front. In fact genuine faith almost nearly always involves some element of mystery or unknown or future aspect. It is however never “blind faith”.
Faith is based on “data”, “fact”.
Faith cannot be measured in terms of more or less.
We either believe or we don’t.
Faith may be measured in terms of stronger or weaker.
Stronger conviction that motivates more confident action. Faith regarding more areas of my life.
Faith involves an unknown or unseen factor.
Faith involves a certain amount of “risk”.
Faith requires some action on my part that demonstrates my trust.
There are five applications of faith as can be observed in the examples of faith in Hebrews 11.
1. Saving Faith – trust in the person and work of Christ to save me.
2. Daily Faith – trust in Christ for daily decisions and life.
3. Conquering faith – trust in Christ to confront impossible obstacles.
4. Enduring faith – trust in Christ to endure unbearable circumstances
5. Future faith – trust in the person and work of Christ to complete what He started in me.
