Have You Overcome the World Yet?
By Brian Shillhavy
Posted on December 12, 2022
There are certain truths written in the Bible that are so simple, that they hardly need any commentary or explanations.
One of those truths is in 1 John 5:5: Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Here is the context of this verse within the first 5 verses of the 5th chapter of 1 John.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.
This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:1-5)
Of course, I am quoting an English translation of this verse which was originally written in Greek, so it is always helpful to define words.
John, who was perhaps the apostle who was closest to Jesus, used the word “world” a lot in his letter, 23 times in 5 chapters.
The original Greek word is κόσμος (kosmos), which includes not just the Earth, but the entire universe.
Let’s look at some other verses where John used this word, kosmos, in this letter.
In the following 3 verses from chapter 2, he used it 6 times:
Do not love the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
Here is another use of this word:
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)
And here is a section from the 4th chapter that uses it a lot, including 3 times in verse 5:
This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. (1 John 4:2-5)
And here is the last time he used it at the end of his letter:
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)
So here is the question every single human being still living on planet Earth has to answer today: Do you want to stay in the world which is under the control of the evil one, Satan, or do you want to overcome the world instead?
It is a simple question; it really is.
When you tune out the noise from the media and perhaps the people around you and just focus on this simple truth written thousands of years ago, it is so easy to see that there are only two kinds of people in the world: those who serve the one currently ruling the world, so that the world will love them, or those who have overcome the world, and that the world now hates.
And who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Christ and believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
That’s it! There’s nothing in between.
Oh, but one more thing.
When you are spiritually born of God and declare this truth that only we who believe that Jesus is the Son of God overcome the world, that belief offends some people, those people who belong to a religion that specifically states that Jesus is NOT the Christ (Messiah), and NOT the Son of God.
That is the modern-day Jewish religion, and some of the people in that religion do not like it when you say that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
They are offended by that statement, and pretty soon I think they are going to have laws and powerful people backing them up so they can stop you from getting a job, prevent you from gaining employment, put you in prison, and perhaps even murder you, for publicly stating the truth that Jesus is the Son of God.
So yeah, it is a very simple truth, but the Holy Spirit is leading me to warn everyone today, it is also a very costly truth, and could, in fact, cost you everything.
I don’t think that will happen to too many people in the United States, however, because they love the world too much, and their new King has just been elected and is promising to make the world a better place.
Most Americans will choose their idols instead, because they love the world too much, and will therefore follow the spirit of the antichrist.
We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. (Last words of John at the end of chapter 5.)
Brian Shillhavy
