The Faith that Overcomes the World: 6) The victory that has overcome the world is our faith.

This is the ninth segment of my sermon on 1 John 5:1-5, entitled "The Faith that Overcomes the World", delivered to College Group at College Church on 8/2/09.

Before reading on, make sure you've read 1 John 5:1-5.

6. The victory that has overcome the world is our faith.
Faith is the victory. This is astonishing, if we really understand what he's saying. Let me ask you: How do you think you're going to overcome the world? Is it through avoidance? Is your main tactic for overcoming the world to avoid its influence on you? Is it some game of 'what I don't see, can't hurt me'? Or is it through effort, sheer force of will? Do you try to overcome the world by the rigor of your personal devotions, the neat organization of your Christian lifestyle? Or perhaps it's through positive thinking? Is the world overcome by the mood that you manufacture, the smile that you smear on?

Well, against avoidance, against effort, against positive thinking, John says the victory is our faith. The writer of Hebrews describes faith this way: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:3) You see, faith is the conviction of things not seen. The problem with avoidance, effort and positive thinking is that they all rely upon things that are seen, namely our circumstances. Faith is not circumstantial; it is our victory and it has overcome the world, but it refuses to be defined by our circumstances. Paul puts it this way: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)
Our faith "has overcome the world" already. This is past tense. It's done. It's finished. It's accomplished. If you have been born of God, then through faith in him, he has overcome the world on your behalf. Christ says in John 16:32: "In the world you will have tribulation. (He does not promise us "victorious" circumstances, but plainly promises us tribulation.) But take heart; I have overcome the world." Take heart, believer, Christ has overcome the world. By faith that victory has been applied to you.

So, how does this help us know that we have eternal life? Well, if we know that the victory that has overcome the world is our faith, then all we need to ask ourselves to assure our hearts of eternal life is, "Do we have faith in Christ's victory over the world?"