Sermon Tone Analysis

1 John 5:5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (NET)

1 John 5:5 Who belongs to a group of individuals which conquers this world?

It is none other than the person who at any time does believe that Jesus is God’s one and only Son. (My translation)

1 John 5:5 contains a rhetorical question, which advances upon and intensifies the previous two statements in 1 John 5:4.

The first we noted presented the reason for the last statement in 1 John 5:3, which asserted that God the Father’s commands are absolutely never a burden.

This causal clause asserts that every person who has been fathered by God conquers the world, which is a reference to Satan’s world system and organization which enslaves all of sinful humanity to itself.

Thus, God’s commands are absolutely never burdensome for the child of God because they have fathered by God and thus have the nature and capacity and desire to obey His commands.

The second statement identifies specifically what conquers the world by asserting that the child of God’s faith appropriates the conquering power, which has conquered the world.

Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father is the conquering power since through these events in His life, He defeated Satan and his world system and organization.

This conquering power was appropriated by the child of God when they were declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son Jesus Christ.

Therefore, this conquering power provided through Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session and appropriated by the child of God through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior conquered Satan’s world system and organization.

Now, here in 1 John 5:5, John employs a rhetorical question, which he answers, which asserts that the person who conquers Satan’s kingdom is the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

The advancement and the intensification is that John goes from asserting that the child of God’s faith gives them the victory over Satan to identifying the object of their faith which provides them this victory.

“The world” appears twice in 1 John 5:4 and here in 1 John 5:5 and in each instance, it refers to Satan’s world system and organization, which is totally and completed opposed to God’s kingdom.

It pertains to a vast system and arrangement of human affairs, earthly goods, godless governments, conflicts, riches, pleasures, culture, education, world religions, the cults and the occult dominated and negatively affected by Satan who is god of this satanic cosmos.

It also speaks of an organization in the sense that it refers to the formation into a whole of interdependent and coordinated parts for harmonious and united action against God.

It refers to the assemblage of fallen angels forming a complex whole that is under the authority of Satan.

This world system and organization led by Satan enslaves all of sinful humanity to itself.

Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father delivers all of sinful humanity from this enslavement to Satan and his kingdom.

The sinner appropriates this deliverance through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and specifically by trusting that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and eternal Son of God.

Now, twice in 1 John 5:4 and again here in 1 John 5:5, the apostle John speaks of a person who conquers Satan’s world system and organization.

In 1 John 5:4 he asserts that they conquer Satan’s kingdom because they are fathered by God or in other words, they are regenerated.

Then, he states that they conquer Satan’s kingdom because their faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God appropriates the conquering power, which has conquered the world.

Now, here in 1 John 5:5, he asserts that a person conquers Satan’s kingdom by believing that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s one and only Son.

In what sense does the child of God’s faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God conquer Satan’s world system and organization?

Their faith conquers Satan’s kingdom because it appropriates the power of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father to deliver sinful humanity from enslavement to sin and Satan.

The sinner’s faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and the Son of God appropriates this power to deliver the sinner from sin and Satan.

John and each of the recipients of First John appropriated this deliverance affected by Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father by believing that Jesus is the Christ and eternal Son of God.

This assertion in 1 John 5:5 speaks of the sinner exercising in Jesus Christ as their Savior, which results in the Father declaring them justified and this in turn results in the Father regenerating them by the power of the Holy Spirit.

They become a child of God through regeneration as a result of their faith at justification.

Therefore, 1 John 5:5 speaks of the moment a person makes the non-meritorious decision to place their complete and total trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Consequently, they were declared justified by the Father, regenerated by the Spirit and identified with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

This justifying faith delivers the sinner from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, personal sins, the sin nature, the devil and his cosmic system as well as spiritual and physical death.

Therefore, it refers to making the non-meritorious decision to totally and completely trust in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross in order to be declared justified by the Father and to become a child of God.

To trust in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior means that the sinner is of the conviction or we could say they are convinced that He can deliver them from God’s wrath and eternal condemnation because they are of the conviction or are convinced that His death on the cross was the payment for their sins and that He rose from the dead.

To trust in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior means that the sinner is convinced or is of the conviction that they are a sinner and that God is Holy and that only Jesus can deliver them from God’s wrath upon sinners.

The person who trusts in Jesus Christ as their Savior is convinced or is of the conviction that they are in need of a Savior and deliverance from God’s wrath.

They are of the conviction or are convinced that they have absolutely no merit with God and that Jesus is the only one with merit with God.

It is not simply an acknowledgement that Jesus existed but rather it being convinced or being of the conviction that Jesus was who He claimed to be, namely the Son of God.

Thus, it is also being of the conviction or being convinced that He rose from the dead since His resurrection demonstrated that He is the Son of God (cf.

Rom.

1:3-4).

It is also being of the conviction or being convinced that His death on the cross was sufficient for the payment of one’s sins.

Now, although John is speaking specifically of the sinner’s faith in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God at the moment of justification, the justified sinner must continue to exercise faith in the Word of God after justification in order to experience this victory over sin and Satan.

The believer who appropriates by faith their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father will experience this victory (cf.

Rom.

6; Col. 3).

This post-justification faith manifests itself in obedience to the God’s commands and prohibitions (cf.

Heb.

11:8).

Also, God’s attribute of love is reproduced and manifested in the life of the child of God by God the Holy Spirit when the former responds to God’s love for them by accepting by faith this love for them.

God’s attribute of love is reproduced and manifested in the life of the child of God by God the Holy Spirit when the former responds to God’s love for them by accepting by faith this love for them.

This faith is demonstrated by their obedience to the Son’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 to love one another as He loves and which command originates with the Father.

Obedience to this command manifests the believer’s love for God according to John 14:15 and 1 John 4:21.

1 John 5:5 is the third time in First John that the apostle John employs the expression ho huios tou theou (ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ), “God’s one and only Son” (cf. 1 John 3:8; 4:15).

Now, in 1 John 3:8, 4:15 and now 1 John 5:5, “Son” (huios) expresses three fundamental concepts regarding the Lord Jesus Christ: (1) His eternal relationship with the Father.

(2) His appointment to the office of Savior and Messiah.

(3) His divine essence.

It also expresses the Lord Jesus Christ’s eternality and that He is infinite and eternal God (John 1:1-2, 14; John 8:58; 10:30a; Col. 2:9a; Rev. 1:8) indicating His equality with the Father (Matthew 17:1-5; John 10:30, 37-38; 14:9; 17:5, 24-25; 20:30-31; Romans 1:1-4; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:3).