Who Can Overcome the World and How Do We Do It
March 16, 2021
1 John 5:4-5 (NKJV) 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 he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
In our last post we began talking about John 16:33. In this verse Jesus is speaking with his disciples for the last time before his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. He is facing the most difficult time of his life. In verses31 and 32 he tells his disciples that there will be some difficult things they must face in the near future. Yet in verse 33 he tells them to be of “good cheer.” Why should he expect them to be cheerful upon hearing this kind of news? The most important reason we can be of good cheer is the last thing he says. Jesus has overcome the world! We found out the world is the system that controls the earth and its people. A person who is not born again is part of the world. Let me share a definition of the world from a Bible dictionary.
The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ. The English definition is the concerns of the earth and its affairs as distinguished from heaven and the life to come. It also means all of human society. This is what Jesus has overcome. Even as he is facing the greatest challenge of his life, he assures His disciples that he has already overcome the source of that challenge, the world.
What does it mean to overcome? The Greek word means to subdue (literally or figuratively):—conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory. The English word means to get the better of : surmount overcome difficulties; overwhelm: to gain the superiority : win.
The source of the trials we face in life are rooted in the world system and our adversary the devil. Jesus overcame the devil in his death, burial and resurrection. Here he tells us he also overcame the world. What does that mean? It means that he is not bound by the pressures or limitations that the world brings to us. He is not subject to the sin that is a defining part of the world system. He is not subject to the pitfalls and temptations that are a part of living in the world. He has already overcome, both inwardly and outwardly, all that the world can bring against a human being.
That is wonderful, but what does it mean to me. My Lord and savior has overcome the world but how does that help me. Today’s scripture tells us. It begins in verse 4 by saying whatever is born of God. Other translations say this differently to make it clear he is talking about people, but I like to use this as a little point of humor. You may not feel good enough to be a whoever, but you have to at least be a whatever! This verse is talking about anyone who has been born again. It does not matter your age either physically or in Christ. It does not matter if you are perfect in your Christian walk. Certainly, if there is some sin or problem in your life you need to repent and go to the Father and let him help you deal with it, but that does not mean this statement does not apply to you. It does not matter where you are from, what your cultural background is or how much money you have. In this verse the only qualifier is “are you born of God.”
What does it say about those who are born of God? It says the same thing Jesus says about himself. It says that anyone who is born of God overcomes the world. Read the paragraph that speaks of the source of trials again. Jesus has overcome all those things. if you are born again, so have you. You may not see the manifestation of overcoming yet, but it is yours potentially. In John 16, Jesus has yet to face the most difficult trial of his life, but he says that he already overcame it. You are yet to face many trials in your life, but if you are in Christ, you have already overcome them.
How do we overcome the world? Read all of the epistles in the New Testament for starters! There are two things in these two verses that will help you. Of course, it must begin by being born of God. If you are not sure if you are, read Romans 10:9-10. If you choose to believe that Jesus’ sacrifice paid for your sins, not just the world’s sins, you can be born again. The final step is to confess Jesus as Lord. That means you accept the fact that you are now his and not your own. The word Lord means ultimate ruler. You must believe that Jesus’ paid for all your past life and you must give yourself to him as the absolute ruler of your life now. If you do, you will be born of God. These are choices only you can make. Once you do, you have the power to overcome the world.
Once that is done, John gives us two other insights that will help release that power. The first is that the most important victory is the fact of our faith. The King James Version says it this way, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” I like that. Most would say the victory is the healing we are praying for or the promise we are believing to see. When it happens, that means we have the victory. That is not what he says. He says that the victory is the fact that we are still believing. That is exactly what Paul meant when he said he was more than a conqueror in Romans 8. He was still facing difficult things in the world, but he knew that in Christ he already had victory.
Jesus says in Mark 11:24 that if we want to receive answers to prayer, we must believe when we pray not when we see the answer. The victory that overcomes the world is the fact of our faith in Jesus Christ. No matter what I may face in life, I will never stop believing that Jesus is Lord, and that God is involved in my life. He loves me period (Romans 8:38-39.) Do you believe in Jesus? That is the essence of overcoming the world!
As a pastor for more than 40 years, I watched many people go through very difficult times. Some allowed the pressures of the world to separate them from the body of Christ and even faith in Jesus himself. I am not saying that everyone I saw do that either was not saved to begin with or lost salvation. I am saying that they did not walk in the victory of overcoming the world. I want you to know that if you do not quit, you will win. I also want you to know that your Father is just as proud of you for not quitting as he is when you receive the promise. Staying in the faith is a powerful victory in itself. It is also the only way we can get to receiving what God has for us.
The second thing it says here is related. Those who overcome the world are those that actively believe in and develop their relationship to God in Christ. Hebrews 11:6 is one of my favorite verses. It says two things that help us in overcoming the world. It tells us that to please God we must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. If God is, then everything changes. If he really exists and is involved in my life, nothing is impossible. Things do not always work out the way I want them too, but nothing is impossible. There is nothing the world has to offer that is more powerful or better than what God can do in my life. That is why as long as I keep the faith, I cannot fail.
As you face the crazy world we live in today, remember this. Jesus overcame the world, but he did not do that for himself. If you are born of God, his victory is yours. As long as we live here our adversary the devil will try to “devour us” and the world will bring pressure against us. We will make mistakes and life will just happen. No matter what, do not quit. The fact of your continued faith in Jesus is the victory that overcomes the world.
(For an audio teaching based on this blog, go to the Practical Wisdom podcast at https://anchor.fm/bill-kiefer.)
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