Overcoming the World
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Testimony Concerning the Son of God
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
That You May Know
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (ESV)
ELLO… I read
I like verse 21,”Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
I like this verse because it talks about not having idols. I need to make sure that nothing means more to me than GOD and that nothing even comes close to being next to HIM. HE is perfect and nothing on earth can compare to HIM so I need to pray that I make sure GOD is the one most important thing in my life.
CYA
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
John says that the reason for which he is writing what he is writing is so the people whom he is writing to may know that they have eternal life since their trust is in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. To all who have been saved by the grace of God, they may live their lives with confidence, not ever having to live in fear over what will happen to them after their death. For they are certain that when they die, or when Jesus returns, they will be taken up to heaven to dwell in the presence of the Lord forever and ever.
This is so encouraging! I have absolutely no reason to be scared over my life. I know that at the time where my time here on earth comes to an end, whether it be my death or whether it be Jesus Christ coming back, I will be taken up to heaven. Many other religions rely on works, and the people are never sure if they will achieve their goals for they are never sure if they have done enough good. However, I can always be living in confidence, and never in fear! I know that as I have been saved by God, repenting of my sins and putting my trust in Christ, there is no question that I will inherit eternal life. And having this confidence in Christ, I need to move on to boldly talking to other people about this! And with the great points we picked up yesterday at True North United, I am equipped and ready to share with others!
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.”
This passage is making it absolutely clear that we as Christians must follow the commands of the bible, which kindof goes against the claim that “Just because God gave us commands doesn’t mean we need to follow them.” It’s kindof ridiculous that someone would say that, but I suppose obedience doesn’t look too appealing for a non-believer, which brings me to the next point!
–>and his commandments are not burdensome
Mmmmmm. This statement is said easier than it comes! But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense that we should not be burdened by obedience. After all, GOD SAVED US FROM HELL. I don’t think there could be any greater motivation to pay him back for all that he has done for us! Unfortunately though, it seems that while we’re here and in a fleshly body, we will have issues being content in our obedience, which is definitely sad.. but that doesn’t mean we can’t try! We should still be pursuing this goal of contentment to the best of our ability.
I like how you take God commands so seriously bro!
If you are faithful to God he will generously give you contentment! Every good thing comes from the Lord!
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
This verse is encouraging and comforting. As children of God, we should not keep sinning! If you are a Christian and continue to live in a lifestyle of sin, then that causes doubts if that person is saved or not. This is why I love surrounding myself with other Christians at True North because if you are in sin, you have some close friends who are there to keep you accountable and tell you the biblical way of what to do or how to master it. I pray that I will continually be alert for any patterns of sin in my life and to be able to set goals in the areas I may struggle in. I do not ever want to keep on sinning with the same intentions as I did before I was saved, or after I now know the specific area! I pray that I will live a lifestyle pleasing to the Lord and that I will strike up opportunities to talk to people about Christ and carrying out his commandments!
I agree 100% :) I do not want to live like before I was a Christian either. Goreat comment!
Legitimate comment sis!
3… And his commandments are not burdensome.
This verse definitely dominated me when I read it… Today many people who claim to be Christians think that righteousness is stupid, and that being holy is just for guys in the Bible times. Many people who claim to know Jesus today say that His commandments are stupid or lame, because “Who wants to obey their parents in the 21st century?!” This attitude comes from the misconception that being a Christian means no fun, and that the commandments that God gives us turn us into robots.
But this verse says that God’s commands are not burdensome! I have found that when I am “obeying” God with a bad attitude, just to check the box, yes, God’s commands are burdensome to me. I don’t want to do them sometimes, because my heart is not where it should be. Here, the problem is with ME, not God’s commands.
But there are other times when I trust in God and I willfully and joyfully obey His commands. And I find that living a holy life for God’s glory is awesome! I am praying that each day I would obey God in faith, and that I would live a holier life, not just in a mechanical way, but with joy! God, I am praying that this verse would stick to me throughout the day, so that I could willingly and happily obey You. I know that any problems that I have with Your commands are problems of MY own, not You. Please give me more and more of a passion each day to obey You and live a holy life for You!
Nice comment!
Great comment Cameron
Great post Cameron! We need to check our hearts and our motives. Obedience to God brings relief.
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
This verse is so helpful! I need to work on not judging people and loving my brothers and sisters through Christ more. When i excepted Jesus Christ into my life I agreed to obey his commandments and love others just like he loves us. I need to work on focusing more on obeying Christ’s commandments and making sure that in whatever I am doing that Christ should be my number one priority in that situation. I should focus on what he wants to do rather then what I want to do.
1 John 5:20-21 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Then: John is writing to a chuch in crisis, Christians being attacked physically by non-believers and spiritually by false teachers. He ends this section of the letter by imploring us to serve only the One True God, Jesus, and not to serve false gods.
Always: Jesus is God and the only savior. Everything else is an idol and evidence of our salvation is the Spirit moving us to sin less and less.
Now: We should keep our eyes on Jesus: seek Him for salvation and sanctification. Everything else moves us away from Him.
Nice TAN Mr. Hosford! :D
15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Ahh! I love these kinds of verses in the Bible that show me and remind me that GOD IS THERE, and HE LISTENS to everyone. It’s so overwhelmingly encouraging to know that God is always listening to me and making sure I take the right paths. I absolutely love knowing that God is watching over me and protecting me. Without Him, our lives would be so messed up. But we have Him and He’s never letting go. “Oh no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm..” I love that song and this verse really seems to reflect the lyrics. God will never let go of me. (YAY!!) :)
Good Morning!!
Verse 2
” By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.”
Loving God means you some how are acting out of love towards His children on earth. If we love God than we are going to do what He wants us to do and that means above all love Him and love others. This is what this verse is stating. It is simply beautiful to love our God.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Now this is encouraging! Yes the world is hard and evil. Yeah i’m going to be put in uncomfortable situations. BUT i will not be overtaken by the world! I will be victorious with Christ and with faith! That is awesome! So whenever life seems to be gettign me down, all i have to do is remember the final outcome: victory! It makes all the things that i’m doing here one earth worth it!
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
This includes submitting to my teachers, parents, or boss, even? YES! AS UNTO THE LORD. He DIED for me. He gave me eternal life in His glory. How could I NOT keep His commands with a joyful heart? Selfishness.
That’s why the last verse is like a sucka punch to the sneaky ones, thinking deep-down that maybe–just MAYBE–they might be able to obey God, but that doesn’t mean they have to give up their OWN desires.
Even after dying to ourselves and being baptized into Jesus Christ, our whole lives in this sanctification process are purposed to strip us of ourselves and make us more like Jesus. There can be NOTHING–no thing, no relationship, no talent, no ministry, or ANYthing–that can motivate us more than Jesus Christ.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
This verse is Revivial ’09-esque…there are two teams, God’s Team and Satan’s Team. John has clearly laid out the obvious evidences of those who are on God’s Team for the past 5 chapters. Christians have faith in Jesus, obedience that follows their profession of faith, a turning from sin, and they love God and others in visible, practical ways. 1 John is such a great book to read to help clarify whose team you are on. This morning I am grateful for my salvation and the fact that ten years ago God chose me to be on His team. I am also broken hearted for those close to me who remain in Satan’s clutches and continue to play for his team, having repeatedly rejected the truth of the gospel. I am going to log off the computer right now and pray! Pray with thanksgiving over my salvation and pray with fervor for my unsaved friends and family who are following Satan. I know God desires for men to be saved and that He prefers for sinners to repent and turn to Him in faith instead of suffering eternal separation from Him at death, so I am going to pray with boldness and hope!
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Here the Word of God makes a clear statement that was true then, will be true always, and is absolutely true now. If you know Jesus, you have eternal life; but if you do not know Jesus, you do not have eternal life. Simple, yet profound. This verse motivates me to rejoice in the life that I have in Christ today. It also encourages me to keep working hard to minister to high school students in the OC so that they might know life in the Son!
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
John has made it very clear that Christians do not continue to sin in the same way and to the same degree. Sure we will stil sin now and then, but the pattern, the habit, or continual practice of different sins should be broken. This is a helpful “litmus test” for us to see where we stand with God. Have we seen sin patterns broken or curbed? Are we experiencing a pattern of victory over our sin? If so, that is a good indication that we have been truely born again “of God.”
1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
This is a great verse. Without Jesus you can’t have eternal life!
I’m so thankful that I have Jesus in my life. Let me testify to that by reflecting His Light! Jesus changed my life around, I consider that to be one of the biggest blessings alone.
The biggest blessing is to know you have eternal life, that I’ll be in heaven one day! It’s like your know you’re getting some type of gift. This gift is something you always been waiting for, but you have to wait because you can’t get it yet. You’re counting down the days until the day you get it and you are always excited about it. It always puts a smile on your face whenever it’s brought up. That’s like waiting for heaven is like.
Praying for your campus lunch tomorrow Kyle!
I’ll pray too!
I am all in on that prayer also KJ! Preach It!
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The world may be hard to resist sometimes and not conforming to the sin of the world seems impossible sometimes. But its not! With the faith I have in Jesus Christ, I can overcome anything through God. People may think I’m weird or a “goody two shoes,” but I can rise above them and live a godly life in Jesus if I am a true child of God.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.And his commandments are not burdensome.
I need to remember this verse everyday! Alot of times we thing that it’s a burden to follow the word of God everyday and to obey it, but this passage tells us that it’s not a burden! It’s really really important. The commands of God are the only thing that will keep us in the Lord and that will keep us obeying God all that we will all think about this all the time
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
so true so true. People think alot that they don’t want to give up their ‘life’ for God, but really none of us have a life until we give it up to jesus
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
MMMMM Lots of good stuff in this chapter! I look at this chapter like a simple yes or no faith test, to see if I am trully a Christian. I loved verse 4 because if someone who calls themself a Chrisitan, but feels burdened by doing things for God is most likely not a Chrisitan, because they are comfortable with the morals and ways of the world. The way I’ve seen the world think versus what God thinks is completely different! So by calling yourself someone who is different from the world, but trully isn’t is being a hypocrite! I need to respond with thankfulness that I can do this without it being a burden!
You are right on Elizabeth! Great Post!
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Once i became a true Christian this really started to see this in my life. When i thought i was a christian but was not i continued living in the same sin and it was such a hard time in my life. God protects those who are his :)
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Wow! This stood out to me so much that we as born again Christians can overcome the world. This verse is so comforting because sometimes I feel so lost and hopeless in the word but through Christ I can overcome it through my faith. Faith is something that I’ve been praying that I would have more of becuase it’s so easy for me to say that yes I do have faith and trust in God but part of me will still doubt. As I gain more faith and am strengthened by it, the grasp that the world has on my loses its power.
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
WHAT a fantastic verse to read right after finishing some time in prayer!! It’s so comforting knowing that God hears our prayers when we ask for His will!! My faith is not useless. I know that my God is the true God and that He listens to what I say when I speak. He definitely shows it when He answers my prayers and reveals things to me through His word!! GOD IS SO GOOD!! :D
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
What an awesome concept for us to meditate on today! That we can overcome the world! I want to have an ambitious faith in Jesus Christ that he is going to do great things in my life and the life of others! I am looking forward to what is next for us at True North! Praying big because God is glorious!
AMEN!
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Loving God should always be number one in my life. And how do I love my Lord? by obeying his commandments, by loving my neighbor as myself, by giving up my time to serve others, by working daily to conform to a godly mindset of thankfulness, humility, and joyfulness.
Even joyfulness! We have been commanded by God to take joy in this World of darkness. And some think it is a burden to to keep such a positive and upright view ALL of the time, yet if our vision is focused on Christ it will not be a burden.
Now as for me…
I will choose to obey the Lord. He is worthy of my obedience even in the little things.
God is good all the time! =)
I’m stoked that the gospel went out today at Laguna!
i agree Big Spence solid post bro!
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
It is so encouraging to know that with God’s help we can overcome anything that the world throws at us. With His help we can do anything and everything. As long as we trust in Him and follow His commands, He will watch after us and protect us.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
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I think:
that God comands us to love onenothier and when we love others then we are also loving God by obeaying him and keepeing his comands.
11 That God’s one and Onlys son came and gave his life for our sinful life, unlike him who is perfect and blameless,to him we are nothing but sin and evil but now that he traded his life for our life on that cross then we are made new through the Blood of Jesus Christ!!
12 that if we have Jesus in us then we have life through him and we will live forever with him,but thoes who don’t have the word of God and does not have a relationship with Jesus has no life, and they are seperated from God the father.
<3 you always Everyone (: xoxoxox
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
This is a good verse because it shows that prayers do not go unanswered, which is comforting. I need to remember that whenever I am asking God for something.
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
It is so cool how this verse tells us that we can overcome the world. This verse reminded me about how since I am a Christian and born of God that I should no want the things of this sinful world. I have overcome the world so I need to not try to go back to the world. I need to strive to push forward and grow closer to God. There are so many temptations but God is with me and will help me.
8 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Obviously, when we become one becomes a Christian, they dont automatically not have struggles with sin anymore. Becoming a Christian does not make someone perfect; Christians will definitely sin. However, there is a difference between Christians and non-Christians when it comes to sin. It isnt that Christians dont do the “big” sins (getting drunk, drugs, partying, stealing, murdering, etc.). The difference is that Christians have the Holy Spirit within them telling them when they are sinning! Christians will know when they have done something wrong or not according to God’s will, and if they are really of Christ, they will do everything in their power, and in the Holy Spirit’s power to put an end to it! Christians know that every sin they commit nailed Jesus to the cross, and this makes them not want to continuously sin. However, Christians are still going to have sins that they struggle with.
Personally, I struggle with respect to my parents and little sister. This is a sin I have been struggling with for a while now, but slowly and surely with God’s help I am over-coming it! I have to continuously remind myself that not only am I hurting my family by sinning like this, but I am hurting God! He hates sin, and for me to be directly sinning against Him and the authority he has placed over me is wrong, and hurtful towards him. If I claim to be a Christian (which I do) I need to be fighting this sin with everything I’ve got and also relying on the strength of the Holy Spirit within me to overcome it!
One more thing… I really liked the promise at the end of this verse. “…he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him”. God will protect us from sin and always provide a way out of sinning for us! (:
Great comment Mady! :D
tomorrow will be a day devoted to god <3
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
How encouraging is this. I am fully confident that God answers each and every prayer. These past few months I’ve seen him open doors and close doors to things I have prayed about. And even if it’s not the answer I wanted, I knew that it’s what our Father in Heaven wanted, and as His daughter I know that his plans are greater than my own. Prayer is so so so powerful and I want to make sure to always lift up every request to him through prayer, knowing that it will be answered. What a faithful God we serve.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
I loved this verse today because it talked about obeying Gods commandments. If we are not obeying them, we are simply not obeying him and therefore we are living a life of sin. We shall also love one another and hold each other accountable for our wrongdoing to help our brothers and sisters flee from sin. Praise God !!!!!
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
I really liked this verse because of the part were it says we dont keep on sinning. Because we are humans we of course do sin. But say if you were a true christian and sined. The holy spirit would convict you and you would never want to repeat that sin again. But the interesting this is, a lot of kids in high school say they are christians yet everyday you see them give in to the same sin! Does it not make you wonder why the holy spirit is working in them. The problem is if you do in fact have the holy spirit then you would not keep repeating the same sin because of conviction; because some people keep sinning is because they dont have the holy spirit to convict them. Its sad to see people who say they are “christians” fall into the same sin everyday yet still call themselves christians. :( Its once again time for us christians to stand up and show others how to fight sin with the holy spirit!!! :D
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Without God, it is impossible to be even a remotely good person. People can try as hard as they can to be a morally good person and get into heaven, but no matter what, if they are not saved they are dead in their sin…this is a reason why it is so awesome to be a Christian! We have been set free from doing wrong and are now able to do what God wants us to do! Christ has conquered the world for us, all we have to do is have faith in Him.
Amen Hunter! It’s all by God’s grace. :)
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
As Christians saved by the Lords grace, sin should not be a consistent pattern in our lives by any means. God is protecting us, giving us a way out of every evil temptation we are faced with, and none are given to us that are too much for us to handle. God always provides a way for us to get out of the temptation without sin, but Satan affects us when we give in. But the last part is so encouraging, if we are truly one of God’s children, it says Satan will not touch us. That is such an awesome thought, we are so lucky to have a God who protects us always!
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Whoever has faith in Jesus Christ overcomes the world. What an amazing thing to be a Christian! We need to hold tight to this throughout every moment of our lives. When we get discouraged, remember this promise that the Lord maintains: we will overcome the world through Jesus Christ who has already conquered death for us!
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In this chapter, John is speaking to the people to make known to them whether or not they had eternal life. In this verse he says that “we are from God.” How cool is that?! If we truly know Jesus Christ as the Son of God who gives us eternal life, then we are called children of the Creator of the universe! Though right now, we are living on a sinful Earth where Satan rules, our citizenship in not here, but in heaven with our Heavenly Father! I know that I am not of this world and I am to live as a “stranger in reverent fear” during this lifetime. I cannot wait to be with my Savior for eternity, I am praying this day comes soon!
hmmmm, YES! Maranatha
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments
If you truly believe in God you will obey his commandments. Think of it this way: if you know (100%) that a tidal wave is going to hit the beach you live on and will kill you, you will move. God, let me yearn to bey your commandments and please you. Amen.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
In the world is evil, and the only way we can stay away from this evil is with the help of God! We must stay strong in our faith and be true believers and worshipers, and pray that God will help us stay on the right path and keep us in the light, not the darkness of the world!
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
This verse is incredible!
By our faith, we have the ability to overcome the world.
How encouraging is that? :D
It’s always good to be reminded that when we’re going through trials, or the pressures of the world seem to great, we always have the Holy Spirit on our side to help us completely resist temptation :)
Praise Him who gives us resistance when times are tough!
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
No matter how hard I try, I still can’t believe God would send His one and only Son to give the gift of eternal life to us.
I just can’t fathom it! Like, why?
We are such sinful people, how could He love us so much and give us so many chances?
I have no idea, I’m just so beyond glad He does!
And I thank Him for giving me a second chance everyday :)
Praying for the next great thing inHis plan, and for me to help put it into motion :)
Use me to better Your kingdom further God!
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
As a Christian I should want to obey the commands of the Lord. They should not feel like a list of things that I cannot do in my life. I should have a desire to do what the Lord has told me to do.
8 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning,
The first part of this verse makes it so clear that if you are in a habit of sining or the practice of sining you are not born of God. Even though it seems the christian community is embracing the idea that if you say you are a christian no matter if there is a pattern of sin in your life in you must be one. 1 John is a crucial book to the walk of a christian because it exposes the sin problem. If we have truly repented of our sin and trusted Christ we not go on sining. Yes we will sin but we will not be in a habit of sin. As Christians we should see the sin in our lives dwindle more and more and we should also see a pattern of a repentant heart when we do sin. This is how you will know who is a child of God.
I know that when I sin the holy spirit will convict me. And when I have sin in my life that is unconfessed it will be revealed to me through the spirit and then I will confess that sin before a Holy God and I know that sin is forgiven. What freedom we have in knowing that we are children of God, that we will struggle and fight sin but that through the spirit we can say no to sin and live godly lives here on this earth sining less.
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols
love this chapter..! every convicting, i have a bible study at my house that
im starting every thursday nights so my friends from schools can hear the gospel and to get saved and live for him!!, and Pastor Ben comes as well.
tonight this chapter reminds me of what we were learning well what i was teaching them…and to my really good friend that is sinning so much and that is not a chirstian:( i think im winning her soul! its all God!!
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
this chapter really encouraged me to keep on going strong cuz I’ve been really quiet lately when I should’ve been out there spreading the word! God give me strength to proclaim your glory throughout the heavens and earth! having faith can have enough strength to move mountains :D
Kelly, Katie and Jasmine! shoutout :D awsome comments :)
10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.—I believe that I have been born of God because I have repented from my old ways and I gave all of my life God! I really need to make sure that I have that complete confidence that God’s promise is true and he sent his perfect son to die for ME so I could live to proclaim is his name! It is soo good to know that God has great promise that if I have 100% trust in the Lord and I believe in him, then I can have eternal life! It is so encouaging that I have life because of what Jesus did for me! I want others to know of what Christ did for me and why I am saved today! I get to spend eternity in heaven with the one who died for my sins and made me white as snow!!
MARANATHA!!!
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
I am so thankful for sanctification. Because we are now freed from the power of sin in our lives, we have the opportunity to sin less and less. We grow to be more and more like Christ every single day. We are no longer children of darkness, but now children of God, and that is a fantastic thing!
I am a little confused about verse 16 and 17. I know its pretty late to be asking a question, but if anyone has some insight into those verses that would be wonderful.
This chapter continues to encourage me, and to keep me meditating on the scripture with passion. It is so encouraging to know that “4 everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” The battle has already been won, and as Christians, we are on the winning team! How awesome is that? It is so comforting to know that my life has a purpose, that i know what i am living for, and i can trust and rely 100% in that. I am so excited to be living my life to serve God. The Lord continues to amazing me everyday, and as i grow in knowledge, i also grow in love for my Heavenly Father. I love the fact that the Lord listens to me. He hears my prayers, and answers each and every one! Not always how i would like, but his will is always done, which ultimately is what i want. It says in verse 14 that “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” The Lord has a plan for my life, and that again brings me joy! I do not have to worry about where my life is going, the Lord has got me in the palm of his hand, and there is no escape from that! AWESOME (:
Maybe I can help!
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
(Anyone correct me if im wrong) I believe that verse 16 is talking about two kinds of sin:
1) Sins that leads to death
2) Sins that dont lead to death.
1) We know that all sin leads to death. We deserve death beacuse of sin, but when we confess and repent of our sin, God will forgive us. So when the verse talks about the “sin that does not lead to death,” I think its saying how we repent of the sin we are made perfect again in Him. So the sin no longer is on our account, which means we are on the path of life, because God forgives us.
2) The sin that leads to death is the sin we do NOT repent of. So if one does not repent of thier sin, they are not forgiven by God. This means that they are not pardoned by God. The verse is saying NOT to pray for the brother who is commiting the sin that leads to death. Because of that person’s lack of repentance, he is not forgiven.
Hope I helped!
Fantastic comment to! Yay for the winning team! Keep on following God, and he will use you according to His will!
Awesome insight Luke Melrose and awesome comment Jordan! :D
Great comment and great response Luke! THat was helpful, i was confused too! So thanks (:
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
We may not be little children, but this verse applies to us just as much as anyone else! We need to make sure that God is ALWAYS number one in our lives. Whether it be money, people, things, relationships, etc…. It should be our idol. God deserves our full attention and lives. My prayer is that I would have no idols and that God would stay #1 in my life! I also pray that True North will be known and full-time servants of God.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
I love how this verse doesn’t just say we should keep God’s commands, but it says, “his commandments are not burdensome.” There is a big difference between doing the right thing with the wrong attitude and doing the right thing with the right attitude! I want God to be pleased not just with my actions, but also with my heart!
I read…
Verse 21… “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
At the end of the chapter, John sneaks in a small, but EXTREMELY important verse. If we are following idols, which most likely will not be a graven image but something that we put before God, we are in sin. And throughout John we have been learning that a Christian does not stay in sin because we have the conviction of the Holy Spirit. So, if we find ourselves today in a specific sin over and over again, this is idolatry. In response I need to press harder to eliminate repetitive sins.
12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
It’s that simple…there is only one way to God, through Christ. You can’t get there any other way. It is so clear in Scripture that Christ is the only way to get to God but it has become so convoluted in the church today. It is not politically correct anymore to say there is only one way to God. I’m so thankful for a church that preaches truth and believes what the Bible says!!!
21,”Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
This verse really stood out to me. It is so easy to love things of this world and let material possessions become more important than God and that is so horrible! If I claim to be living for God than my life and what is important to me should reflect what I believe. I need to make sure I am living 100% for God not letting the things of this world sway me.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Hmm. I find it very interesting that John places this verse, a little bit out of the blue, right at the end of 1 John. After saying all that he has said, he thinks that this is the statement that deserves to conclude what he is saying. This makes me really think about the importance of this verse. John knows that idols can pull us away from God so easily, and we are so attracted to them. I do not want to let myself ever fall into temptation where idols are starting to appear in my life.. I need to make sure God has complete and utter dominance and priority over everything else in my life.
Amen Jackson! Great observation to what most people would overlook. Idols are a deal breaker in the eyes of God.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
This is definitely something to be thankful for! Jesus is protecting us from Satan, and nothing can take us out of His hand! Jesus is also interceding on our behalf with the father, ensuring that our prayers are heard and that His blood is attributed to our sins. Such love for me demands my entire life in response! When I stop to think about how awesome Jesus is and everything that He does for me, it makes me so much more eager to live for HIm and to tell everyone around me about Him!
Great chapter! 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Obeying God comes from a deep love and devotion to him. If a student has absolutely no respect for his teacher, it will be a lot harder to obey him/her. But we can get to know God and his attributes through the Bible. Iv’e learned that once I get to know God more and more, I acquire this deep passionate love for him that makes me want to obey him and do whats right!
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
this verse really sums up what we as christians believe. we KNOW and UNDERSTAND the truth so why keep it from others!? JESUS is the only way to heaven we cant earn it we cant do anything to obtain such a gift as this and since WE UNDERSTAND this we should be doing our best to help others not only UNDRSTAND this truth but to live it out!
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
I love these two verses! It is so comforting to know that i am guaranteed eternal life with Jesus Christ! I cannot wait to see him face to face and worship and praise him for all he has done and for who he is! I should also be doing this on earth, i need to praise God and worship him from the heart! He deserves everything so lets give him what he deserves! It is so awesome to know that God listens to everything we ask for. Whether it be a simple prayer, or a cry out for help, anything, he will listen and answer. Sometimes it may not be what we want, but in the end it is Gods will for our lives nad that is ultimately what we need to live by. Its not about our wants or desires, but Gods want for our lives. Its so comforting to know, instead of gossiping o r “venting” to a friend, we can vent and tell God everything. He is the one who knows every thought, feeling, and knows exactly what is in our hearts so it makes sense to go to him first. I pray that i will go to you first with any problems i have or if i just need someone to talk to because you are always there!
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
THis is a verse to end a chapter with! If i am a christian and i say i am on Gods team, i need to live it and God needs to be #1! If i wanted to live for myself and live like the world, i would have chose Satans team. But i didnt, i chose to live for God and be on His team! THis was one of the things we talked about at revival 09 and it made me realize how many idols i had in my life and that i was not living for him but i was living for myself. Now i live to keep God first in my life and let nothing compete with him because he is worth it and deserves so much more than we can offer!<3
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
It’s easy to brush off the idea of idols and say that nothing is before the Lord, however as I was really thinking about this, I would have to admit there are things that distract me from glorifying my Creator in everything! I fail to be obedient to all his commandments because of idols in my life. I am not making the most of the time God has given me because of the idols in my life. Even things as basic as friends, school, and work can become idols. I pray that the Lord will continue to convict me of these idols! May I have an eternal focus, remembering that when Jesus Christ returns, all that matters from my time here on earth is bringing glory to my Father. Things that take away from that are idols that need to be removed from my life now!
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
Wow. This is my favorite chapter of first john. I really like verses thirteen through twenty one. Verses sixteen through seventeen are exactly what pastor bobby was preaching about at united. The homosexual will not inherit the kingdom of heaven nor will the alchoholics
1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
This is a great promise from God to us. This means that we can be assured that we will make it to heaven, while living here on earth. We don’t have to wonder like people involved in false religion if we have done enough works to make into heaven. I praise God for his son Jesus Christ and the fact that salvation is a free gift of God available to all who will repent of theirs sins and believe on the name of Jesus Christ. Good night.
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
I really like this verse because it says that Christians are given understanding. I remember Pastor Bobby was saying one time that non-Christians are incapable of understanding or thinking about spiritual things because they are not saved. I’m so thankful that I understand, and now I need to share it with everyone else!
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
I really like this verse. It reminds me of the attitude I should have toward obeying Gods commands. Keeping Gods commands is not burdensome, He is protecting me. And anything that God has me do is for a reason.
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
It is so awesome that God has given understanding so that we can know Jesus Christ, the only pure truth. In Him is life and true satisfaction; I am so blessed to have been saved by His grace. Lord, you are so much better than everything; please help me to stay away from idols for they do not even compare to your greatness. Like this week’s campus lunches express, everything else will leave us hungry but you will satisfy us forever. Please help me to love you more and think about you throughout the day instead of idols.
Such a great chapter! There was soo much useful scripture here, but this stood out the most.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
When I became a Christian, I was told that when I was little I had committed my life to Christ and repented of my sins. HOWEVER, I still lived a life of sin from then on and up until September 20, 2009 I was not a Christian. I didn’t understand that a Christian cannot continue sinning. The bible explicitly states that whoever is born of God (born again) cannot live a sinful life, full of hypocrisy and immorality. If someone truly repents of their sins and puts their faith in Christ, they cannot fall out of God’s hand, nor can Satan steal them from God. This concept is commonly confused and the term “rededication” is used when someone thinks that theyve fallen and are coming back to Christ. The reality of that situation is that they werent a Christian in the first place! Thank God Almighty for the Bible!! Without it we would be lost in a life of sin!
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MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
I love this verse. I started getting all pumped up while reading it. Jesus died for my sins and he is the only true one. He has given us the chance at eternal life and to be a child of the one true god. I am so glad that God chose me to be one of His children and although I cant pay him back for it, I want to serve Him in anyway I can
1 John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
If God is our first love we will be compelled by his love to love our brother. When we are filed by God’s love our one desire is to obey the commandments of the one we love. Only thru Christ Jesus can we have love for God that is free of any burden and enables us to overcome this world. Worldly motives are exposed to us when God’s commands are burdensome. Conversely if God’s love dwells within us his commandments are pure joy and relieving to our spirit. As our faith in God is strengthened so is our ability thru him to overcome our fleshly desires. Only with God are we able to overcome our self and the world.
John 3:5-6 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
I read . . .
1 John 5 . . .
“4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
So who are the people in this world that have overcome the world WITHOUT Faith? No onnnne. Only him who goes through Christ can overcome the trials and trageties of this world. ( I can’t spell, it’s to late. lol ) This reminds me of what I’m going through right now. Really stressed about all the HW that I have and I feel that it’s almost impossible. But you know what? It’s not. Because with God on my side, the world cannot stop me or win the battle. Only the people with FAITH will overcome the trails and tribulations of the world because God is there with them.
I always need to be keeping that in mind. That no matter how hard, difficult or challenging things in life may be . . . DO NOT FEAR FOR MY FATHER IS NEAR!
He’s gone through wayyyy tougher things than my HW, so I KNOW that my Father can help and comfort me. :D
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~M.A.R.A.N.A.T.H.A~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
~ Ariana Mishreki ~ :)
It’s true that if we are born from God that we don t keep sinning. Though no one is perfect and we are born sinner it is our job to repent and turn away from our sins. Lastly pubour faith in God. I like this because it’s a friendly reminder of what we should do and what we are born into if we trust in our God
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
This is a great verse, as I now think of what I idolize in life. It doesn’t have to be a person but it is something that you are putting above God. What comes to mind for me is facebook, I spend so much time on facebook, and probally spend like half that time with God. This really just shows me what I need to improve on.:)