Thursday, September 1, 2011

How to be an Overcomer

1 John 5:1-5 says that 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)  This is love for God: to obey 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 he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

These verses tell us that there are two ways that we and others can know that we are truly children of God.  First, we will obey the commandments that God has given to us in His Word.  Jesus reminded us in John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Secondly, we will love one another.  He also said in 1 John 4:11-12 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  (12)  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

However, I also see something else in these verses.  It says that only those who do these things (obey His commandments and love one another) have the ability to overcome the world.

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