THE IMPLICATIONS OF MATURE BELIEF (9 OF 9)
by Richard Laue
Scripture: I JOHN 5:1-15
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The Implications of Mature Belief (9 of 9)
Richard Laue
I John 5:1-15
Last week, we talked about mature love. Next week, it will be immature righteousness. Today, it is mature belief. How can you tell that your faith is growing? How do you know that you have real faith, rather than phony faith? There are four beautiful summaries in these first fifteen verses in I John 5.
The first three verses are used as an introduction. In these verses he deals with three things again: Believing ... Loving ... Obeying. Do you notice how John keeps hammering in these same things again and again. You may think that I am repeating myself in these messages, and that is exactly right.
Listen, if we can get believing, loving, and obeying into cur Christian walk, we aren't going to need much else. In fact, if we would live I John, that is all that we would need. that's exciting, isn't it? That's why we need to pour over these letters.
Let's take up the text then at verse 4 and notice the first of four things that reveal mature belief. (Remember mature means complete, perfected, growing in grace.)
I. THE MATURE BELIEVER IS OVERCOMING THE WORLD. (Verses 4 and 5)
The NAS translates this .. "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world." The action is continuous. Continues to win out.
The NIV translates this ... "Everyone born of God has overcome the world." They make it past tense. The Greek is not past tense. It is present, continuous action. I am surprised that NIV did that. That just goes to show you that the Scofield Reference Bible is the only Bible that is settled in heaven.
Positionally, that is true. We have overcome the world. We amp overcome by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12: 11). We have overcome in our spirit, but in our soul (mind, will and emotions) we are in the process of overcoming the world. Positionally, we have; practically, we can. There is no reason why we cannot.
A believer slips back into the world by stages.
1. Friendship with t ...
Richard Laue
I John 5:1-15
Last week, we talked about mature love. Next week, it will be immature righteousness. Today, it is mature belief. How can you tell that your faith is growing? How do you know that you have real faith, rather than phony faith? There are four beautiful summaries in these first fifteen verses in I John 5.
The first three verses are used as an introduction. In these verses he deals with three things again: Believing ... Loving ... Obeying. Do you notice how John keeps hammering in these same things again and again. You may think that I am repeating myself in these messages, and that is exactly right.
Listen, if we can get believing, loving, and obeying into cur Christian walk, we aren't going to need much else. In fact, if we would live I John, that is all that we would need. that's exciting, isn't it? That's why we need to pour over these letters.
Let's take up the text then at verse 4 and notice the first of four things that reveal mature belief. (Remember mature means complete, perfected, growing in grace.)
I. THE MATURE BELIEVER IS OVERCOMING THE WORLD. (Verses 4 and 5)
The NAS translates this .. "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world." The action is continuous. Continues to win out.
The NIV translates this ... "Everyone born of God has overcome the world." They make it past tense. The Greek is not past tense. It is present, continuous action. I am surprised that NIV did that. That just goes to show you that the Scofield Reference Bible is the only Bible that is settled in heaven.
Positionally, that is true. We have overcome the world. We amp overcome by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12: 11). We have overcome in our spirit, but in our soul (mind, will and emotions) we are in the process of overcoming the world. Positionally, we have; practically, we can. There is no reason why we cannot.
A believer slips back into the world by stages.
1. Friendship with t ...
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