Are You Born of God? Part 4 – 1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1Jn 5:4

Regeneration does not happen by man’s effort. It is a divine work and a gift from God as He creates hearts anew to have faith in Jesus Christ. (1Jn 5:1) Those who are born of God love the Father and their fellow brethren, and they live a life of wholehearted obedience to Jesus Christ. We conclude this sermon series with another mark of one who is born of God- faith that overcomes the world.

Faith is divine. Faith is a gift from God. By faith alone, we overcome the spiritual power of sin and gain hope under circumstances that would otherwise leave us hopeless. It is not simply faith alone, but faith in Christ alone– imparted to us through Scripture- that can overcome the world. (Rom 10:17; Acts 4:30-32, 19:11-16) Every child of God has faith, but in order to grow in faith, we need to constantly work out our faith. We exercise faith by meditating on Christ. Be determined to know who He is until His Word influences your mind and heart. Embrace the trials and sufferings that God permits into your life, because He causes all things for our good. (James 1:2) And finally, be constant in prayer, encountering God and laying all your burdens down to Him. Prayer is an effective expression of our faith in God.

Faith is victorious. Faith does not make us immune to trials and sufferings. Our Lord Jesus went through every temptation and suffering in His life- if we are His disciples, we must expect the same. Faith does, however, overcome all circumstances, because it is God Who is working in us through faith. (Matt 28:20) Even when we forget God’s goodness and fail to be faithful, God continually keeps His promises. He never abandons us, but He works all things in His perfect timing. In the book of Numbers, God promised the Israelites the land of Canaan, but as a group of them spied out the land, they became paralyzed with fear of the Canaanites who looked physically bigger and stronger. Only Joshua and Caleb- who were among the group sent out to spy- seeing the same sights and the same people, they did not depend on their own understanding. They trusted God’s promise and did not fear man. Let us follow their example and heed their call for faith- do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land…the Lord is with us. (Num 13:30-14:9)

 

Faith knows who the enemy is. Lastly, anyone who is born of God is no longer blind, but is able to see the world as God sees it. Without this discernment of good and evil, we cannot fight against the enemy. (Eph 6:16; Jn 15:5; Gal 2:20) By faith in Christ, we can control the power of sin and continually grow in holiness. We can trust God through all circumstances, because we believe what God says in Scripture. Faith produces obedience in us, occupying our souls with everything good God gives us through Christ. We can endure and rejoice in sufferings and trials, because faith counts everything as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ the Lord. This is our victory- our faith in Jesus Christ. We overcome the world in Christ, because He alone overcame the world through His life, death, and resurrection. (Phil 3:10-11; Rom 12:2)