The overcomers in the church have overcome the world through faith in the Son of God. First John 5:4 and 5 say, “Because everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory which overcame the world-our faith. And who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The Greek word for “world” in these verses is kosmos. Here it denotes not the earth but an ordered system set up by Satan, the adversary of God. God created man to live on the earth for the fulfillment of His purpose. But His enemy, Satan, in order to usurp the God-created man, has formed an anti-God world system on earth by systematizing men with religion, culture, education, industry, commerce, and entertainment through men’s fallen nature in their lusts, pleasures, pursuits, and even in their indulgence in living necessities, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation. The whole of such a satanic system, which includes all persons, matters, and things, lies in the evil one (1 John 5:19). This system is altogether against God’s economy, and it opposes the believers in their following of Christ in an absolute way. Therefore, we need to overcome the world.
First John 5:4 tells us that “everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world.” The word “everything” refers to every person who has been begotten of God. Yet such an expression should refer especially to the part that has been regenerated with the divine life, that is, the spirit of the regenerated person (John 3:6). The regenerated spirit of the believer does not practice sin (1 John 3:9), and it overcomes the world. The believer’s divine birth with the divine life is the basic factor of such a victorious living.
We have seen that “everything” in 5:4 points to the human spirit. To say that everything begotten of God overcomes the world actually means that it is the regenerated human spirit that overcomes the world. Regarding overcoming the world, we should not trust in our own ability or effort. On the contrary, we need to trust our regenerated spirit. In ourselves we cannot overcome the world. However, our regenerated spirit is well able to overcome the world, the evil satanic system. When we exercise our spirit, stay in our spirit, and walk by our spirit, we shall see that our spirit has the life ability to overcome all negative things. This is why we need to exercise our spirit to have fellowship with the Lord and pray concerning the enjoyment of the Lord. We also need to exercise our spirit to call on the Lord’s name and to pray-read the Word. This exercise stirs up the ability in our spirit to overcome the world.
It is the divine life in our spirit that has the ability to overcome the world. The divine life in our spirit can overcome the temptations that surround us. We all need to see that our spirit is mingled with the divine life and is the organ that can overcome the world.
First John 5:4b says, “This is the victory which overcame the world-our faith.” This is the faith that believes that Jesus is the Son of God (5:5) that we may be begotten of God and have the divine life, by which we are enabled to overcome the Satan-organized-and-usurped world.
Actually, our trust should not be in our faith itself. The faith by itself does not overcome the world. Our faith brings us into an organic union with the processed Triune God, and it is this organic union, not the faith directly, that overcomes the world. By believing in the Lord Jesus, we are brought into an organic union with the Triune God. This union, produced by faith, then overcomes the world.
First John 5:5 goes on to say, “And who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” Such a believer is one who has been begotten of God and has received the divine life (John 1:12-13; 3:16). The divine life empowers him to overcome the evil world energized by Satan. Such believers are in contrast to those who remain the pitiful victims of the evil satanic system. Our believing that Jesus is the Son of God brings us into an organic union with the Son, who is the embodiment of the Triune God. It is this organic union with the Triune God in the Son that overcomes the world.
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