Nike is one of the world's largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel as a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24.1 billion (in its fiscal year 2012 ending May 31, 2012). It employs more than 44,000 people worldwide. In 2014 the brand alone is valued at $19 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.)
The company takes its name from Nike, the mythical Greek goddess. In ancient Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory who aided Zeus in his battle against the Titans. One of the Apostle John’s favorite description of believers is one that “overcomes” where he employs a verb form of the word Nike. (nikaō). Earlier in this epistle, John wrote that spiritual young men overcome the Devil through the power of the Word (1 John 2:13–14). Not only have believers overcome Satan, but also his servants (1 John 4:1–4).
Believers, then, are invincible overcomers—not in themselves or by their own power, but in Jesus Christ and by His power. Although their ultimate victory is assured, Christians still lose some of the battles. They succumb to Satan’s temptations, the world’s allurements, and the corruption of their own hearts, and fall into sin. But if believers are not always victorious in the skirmishes of this life, how can they be sure that they are truly overcomers? Reiterating, recycling, and enriching familiar themes from earlier in this epistle, John gives three characteristics of an overcomer in 1 John 5:1–5: 1) Faith in the truth (1 John 5: 1a, 4–5), 2) Love for God and others (1 John 5:1b), and 3) Obedience to the Word (1 John 5:2–3).
1) Faith in the Truth (1 John 5: 1a, 4–5)
1 John 5: 1a, 4–5 5 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? (ESV)
The foundational mark of an overcomer is one who believes that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah). To “believe” means to put one’s trust and confidence in, to be convinced of, the truth. To believe in Jesus as “the Christ” means to trust him as God’s Messiah, his unique Anointed One, and have faith in him. It means believing that Jesus of Nazareth was God’s one and only Son and that he was anointed by God’s Spirit to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, die on the cross for sin, and rise from the dead to become the Savior. The tenses of the Greek verbs indicate that belief is the result, not the cause, of the new birth. The continuing activity of believing proves that a person has been born of God. (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1998). 1, 2 & 3 John (pp. 104–105). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.)
Please turn to Matthew 13 (p.818)
Continual faith is the result of the new birth, not its cause. Christians do not keep themselves born again by believing, and lose their salvation if they stop believing. On the contrary, it is their perseverance in the faith that gives evidence that they have been born of God. The faith that God grants in regeneration (Eph. 2:8) is permanent, and cannot be lost. Nor, as some teach, can it die, for dead faith does not save (James 2:14–26). There is no such thing as an “unbelieving believer.” This is a PERFECT PASSIVE INDICATIVE which emphasizes a culmination of an action, produced by an outside agent (God) into a permanent state of being. (Utley, R. J. (1999). The Beloved Disciple’s Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John (Vol. Volume 4, p. 236). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.)
The question sometimes arises concerning those who profess faith in Christ, but then admit not believing in Him. Our Lord described such people in the parable of the soils:
Matthew 13:1–7, 20–22 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.(ESV)
• Parables are Jesus’ means of communicating truth through a narrative analogy in order to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. God sovereignly uses the parables to either harden a person’s heart so that he or she will be unable to respond (v. 15), or to elicit the positive response of coming to Jesus, asking for an explanation, and accepting his message (cf. v. 10) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (pp. 1847–1848). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Such false, temporary faith produces no fruit, in contrast to genuine saving faith, which alone produces the fruit that proves one’s new birth:
Matt. 13:8, 23; . 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (ESV) (cf. 3:8; Acts 26:20)
• The good soil depicts the heart that has been prepared to receive the gospel, yielding an abundant harvest according to individual potential. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1848). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
In verse 4, John emphases the truth from verse 1 that those who believe in Jesus Christ and have been born of God overcomes the world, gaining the victory over it through their faith. The phrase our faith literally reads, “the faith of us.” It could refer to the subjective, personal faith of individual believers, or objectively to the Christian faith, “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3; cf. Acts 6:7; 13:8; 14:22; 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 1:23; Phil. 1:27; 1 Tim. 4:1; 6:10, 21; 2 Tim. 4:7). Here John emphasizes that it is the subjective trust by which God makes saints overcomers. The victory is already won. We won it (past tense) with our union in Christ, and we win it (present tense) by our refusal to deny him (Walls, D., & Anders, M. (1999). I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Vol. 11, p. 223). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
This can be understood from the apostle’s rhetorical question in verse 5, Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (cf. 4:15). Christians are victorious overcomers from the moment of salvation, when they are granted a faith that will never fail to embrace the gospel. They may experience times of doubt; they may cry out with David, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? (Ps. 13:1; cf. 22:1; 27:9; 44:24; 69:17; 88:14; 102:2; 143:7; 2 Tim. 2:11–13). But true saving faith will never fail, because those who possess it have in Christ triumphed over every foe. When believers place their faith in Jesus, then nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:37–39; 1 Cor. 15:57). No evil forces in this world are able to overpower the person who trusts in Jesus. Instead, the believer is victorious over the world because of their faith in the Son of God (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of James and the Epistles of John (Vol. 14, p. 350). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Illustration: We are told that a soldier in the army of Alexander the Great was not acting bravely in battle. When he should have been pressing ahead, he was lingering behind. The great general approached him and asked, “What is your name, soldier?” The man replied, “My name, sir, is Alexander.” The general looked him straight in the eye and said firmly: “Soldier, get in there and fight—or change your name!” What is our name? “Children of God—the born-again ones of God.” Alexander the Great wanted his name to be a symbol of courage; our name carries with it assurance of victory. To be born of God means to share God’s victory. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 525). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
2) Love for God and Others (1 John 5:1b)
1 John 5:1b 5 (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 (ESV)
The primary mark of an overcomer involves the doctrinal test of believing the truth of the Christian faith. The second mark is again a moral characteristic: an overcomer loves the Father.
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 13 (p.960)
The love of which John writes is not mere emotion or sentimentality, but a desire to honor, please, and obey God. Directed toward people, it is the love of the will and choice, the love that sacrificially meets the needs of others.
Paul described it in 1 Corinthians 13:
1 Corinthians 13:4–7: 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (ESV)
• Here we find the most comprehensive biblical description of the fullness of love. Paul shines love through a prism and we see 15 of its colors and hues, the spectrum of love. Each ray gives a facet, a property, of agapē love. Unlike most English translations, which include several adjectives, the Greek forms of all those properties are verbs. They do not focus on what love is so much as on what love does and does not do. Agapē love is active, not abstract or passive. It does not simply feel patient, it practices patience. It does not simply have kind feelings, it does kind things. It does not simply recognize the truth, it rejoices in the truth. Love is fully love only when it acts.
Paul finally explains that those who love are whoever/the child born of Him. The new birth brings people not only into a faith relationship with God, but also into a love relationship with Him and His children. “Born” is in the perfect tense, referring to a past completed act of regeneration with the present result that that regenerated individual has been made a partaker of the divine nature and as such is a child of God (II Peter 1:4, John 1:12 “sons,” tekna (τεκνα), “bairns,” born-ones) (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (1 Jn 5:4). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.).
Illustration: A woman visited a newspaper editor’s office, hoping to sell him some poems she had written. “What are your poems about?” the editor asked. “They’re about love!” gushed the poetess. The editor settled back in his chair and said, “Well, read me a poem. The world could certainly use a lot more love!” The poem she read was filled with moons and Junes and other gushing sentiments, and it was more than the editor could take. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but you just don’t know what love is all about! It’s not moonlight and roses. It’s sitting up all night at a sickbed, or working extra hours so the kids can have new shoes. The world doesn’t need your brand of poetical love. It needs some good old-fashioned practical love.”
D.L. Moody often said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather.” We show our love to God, not by empty words but by willing works. We are not slaves obeying a master; we are children obeying a Father. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 523–524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
3) Obedience to the Word (1 John 5:2–3)
1 John 5:2–3 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.(ESV)
The opening statement of verse 2, by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, is the result of the truth John expressed in verse 1. Just as it is impossible to love God without loving His children, so also is it impossible to truly love His children apart from loving Him. Those twin priorities of loving God and other Christians mark all who have been born again. The proof of genuine faith is sustained and loving obedience; it is to love God and obey His commandments. Genuine saving faith produces love, which results in obedience. Those who believe God is who Scripture reveals Him to be will respond in love, praise, and adoration. Because He is the supreme object of their affections, they will long to obey Him. Obey translates a present tense form of the verb poieō, which has the connotation of “to accomplish,” “to carry out,” or “to practice.” The present tense indicates that believers’ obedience is to be continuous. It will always be the direction, though not the perfection, of their lives. One who truly loves God will view His commandments as a precious treasure, to be guarded at all costs (2 Tim. 1:14). Poieō refers to action, tēreō to the heart attitude that prompts obedience. Disobedience to God’s will is a tragedy—but so is reluctant, grudging obedience. God does not want us to disobey Him, but neither does He want us to obey out of fear or necessity… What is the secret of joyful obedience? It is to recognize that obedience is a family matter. We are serving a loving Father and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been born of God, we love God, and we love God’s children. And we demonstrate this love by keeping God’s commandments. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 523–524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Please turn to John 14 (p.901)
Obedience was a foundational theme in the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 12:50 He said, “Whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” He pronounced “blessed … those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28). In John 8:31 He challenged those who professed faith in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” To His disciples in the upper room He stated plainly, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15), and He repeated that truth several times during that discourse:
John 14:21-24 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. (ESV)
• The obedience that characterizes a true child of God is not external, ritualistic, legalistic compliance. Nor is it unwilling, partial, inconsistent, or grudging. Loving obedience is from the heart (Deut. 11:13; 30:2, 10; Rom. 6:17), willing (Ex. 25:2; 1 Peter 5:2; cf. Lev. 26:21), total (Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10; James 2:10), constant (Phil. 2:12), and joyful (Ps. 119:54; cf. 2 Cor. 9:7).
Verse 3 specifies that those who truly obey God do not find His commandments … burdensome. To the (unregenerate) the will of God is strange; the requirement for righteousness, foreign and hard. Even the law of love is a burden. But sin has a price. When it is paid, we see it would have been easier not to have sinned. ( Walls, D., & Anders, M. (1999). I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Vol. 11, p. 222). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The commands of God become burdensome only when we desire to do something else. In that case, love for our own will dominates our love for God, and fellowship is broken; and what was intended for our good seems cruel and restrictive. The solution is to return to that position in which we love God with all our hearts and souls and minds (Boice, J. M. (2004). The Epistles of John: an expositional commentary (p. 128). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
So in the long run, obeying God’s commands is not burdensome. This is why Jesus could say his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matt. 11:28–30). We who have been born of God have within us a desire and a yearning for the Father. Seeking and hungering after righteousness becomes our joy. Living the life of love becomes our delight. The commands of God bring us the freedom and the liberty we so ardently long for (Barker, G. W. (1981). 1 John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 349). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (2007). 1, 2, 3 John (pp. 173–186). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.)
