Godly Christian living is related to the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

Because the grace of God is enabling us to live a godly life now, in this present world, we have no fear of the wrath that will be poured out on mankind at the coming of Christ. We have been "fireproofed" by having been through the fires of judgment with Christ during our Christian experience. We have been chastened and made righteous by the Lord so we will not be condemned with the world.

This is more than a carrying into Heaven while the world is being judged. Rather, it is a "boldness in the day of judgment." It is a boldness based on an acceptance of the atonement and lordship of Christ and on the possession of a life that has been re-created into the image of God by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit until "as he is, so are we in this world."

Overcoming sin.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:4,5)

Sometimes the above verse is used to prove that if we merely make a mental assent to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God we have overcome the world and there is little more we need to do.

If this were true, then the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation, the part of the Scriptures that addresses the overcomers, would stress our belief. Actually, these two chapters emphasize our works.

Also, if a simple assent to the Divinity of the Lord Jesus were all we needed to do to satisfy God's requirement concerning victorious Christian living, the main thesis of First John, which is that we faithfully keep God's commandments, meanwhile purifying ourselves, would be found to be an unnecessary exhortation.

"Faith" must be defined as obedience to God rather than mental assent to the Divinity of Jesus. The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, the "faith" chapter of the Scriptures, does not so much as mention belief in doctrine of any kind. Rather the faith of the saints of old was a faith that resulted in obedience to the will of God.

The meaning of I John 5:4,5 is that true faith, true belief that Jesus is the Son of God, results in our overcoming the world. The individual who overcomes the world is the one who has faith in the Lord Jesus—that Christ has come in the flesh and that Christ is the Lord Jesus. This person, because of his sincere adherence to the truth, will be able to overcome the lust that is in the world.

It is not the belief that is of itself the victory. Rather it is that a true belief will always result in victorious living. This concept follows the exhortation to holy living that is found throughout the Book of First John.

To be continued.