1 John 5:4

NASB	NLT	VOICE
4 For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith	4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.	4 Everything that has been fathered by God overcomes the corrupt world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith

Victory Through Faith

In the context of 1 John, to be “born of God” means to go through a process of spiritual regeneration through Jesus. To overcome the world shows that we find victory over the worldly systems that go against God. In the Greco-Roman world, much like we see in our world, societal norms conflicted with Christian principles. To overcome shows that we triumphed over the pressures and temptations. In the original Greek, the word for “victory” is nike, which shows a sense of triumph and success. It’s something that happens now, which helped the early church and those that faced persecution and opposition. Victory is not just personal, but communal. It affects all parts of life and allows Christians to live aligned with God’s will.

The core of our victory is centered on our faith. This faith focuses on our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Savior. Faith is a gift from God and a response to His revealing. This faith that overcomes the world is reflected on trust, obedience, and perseverance. In early church context, faith was a radical departure from the surrounding religious and philosophical systems. It involved a commitment to living a new way. It involved growing through trials and being sustained by the Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Think back to the last trial you faced. How did your faith in Jesus help get you through the moments of stress?

All People Reflect Christ

Something that stuck out to me was how faith was a radical way to leave the failing religious and philosophical systems. Working in the United Methodist Church for a decade and seeing and hearing about many churches being forced to both downsize and close, helped me be aware of a failing system. The church was often delayed to the societal movements. Because of those delays, the church stayed laser-focused on practices, focuses, and rituals that no longer served the role they needed to in the current society. Now the church has made a lot of positive movements over the last few years from honoring same-sex marriages and pro-choice movements, to moving towards trauma-based ministries for families, and more environmental and social justice movements. Unfortunately, there was so much harm that was done by the organized religion, they lost out on generations that needed to stay with them. Families moved away from the harm of churches and moved towards individualized spiritual experiences. There were movements to become more-so “Christians” and less-so “Methodists.”

A lot of friends in my generation (Millennial) and the Gen Z generation are not finding the importance of the church. However, they are living out a spiritual life outside of the church. They are working towards conducting what I see to be the works of Christ without claiming that they are doing it in Christ’s name. They are working to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, visit the jailed and more. They are doing all the works of Christ and showing what it means to care for God’s creation (often better than many Christians.) They may not name Jesus, but their acts of love and justice embody the heart of his teaching. For me, that is a way the gospel shows up in the world—sometimes before people even realize whose way they’re walking in.

I recently talked about how those that aren’t Christian, but share the works of Christ, are just as valid in sharing the Gospel than Christians doing it. We can start to work together and accomplish the greater mission that God created for the world. If ‘overcoming the world’ is about resisting systems of greed, hate, and dehumanization, then working alongside anyone—Christian or not—who feeds, houses, and liberates is part of that victory.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Research local opportunities to help your community. Which option interests you and why?

PRAY Action

Praise God for all the new ways that we can serve God. For the gift of faith that we’ve been gifted through God to do everything we’ve been called.

Read Philippians 4:13

Ask God for the ways we can share our faith with the world. Ask for God to point out the ways that we can best serve our neighbors, community, and world.

You are God’s child. You are God’s creation. Nothing in this world can define you. Only God can show who you are.

Next slice of manna: Overcoming Fear with Christ’s Peace || John 14:27 || Manna for the Mind #333