Overcoming the World

 This is part five of a series on the doctrine of assurance that I am doing in my family worship. I wanted to share this, and might share the rest if I so choose. I pray you are blessed in the reading of this.

Overcoming the World
*Overcoming transient desires
*Overcoming sin by power of the Holy Spirit

1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 5:4-5; Romans 8:5-6, 9


This is our fifth examination concerning true and false faith, and how to biblically know whether we are truly born again or not. This part deals with the regenerate person overcoming the world and the flesh, even the devil, who himself governs these things. Yet, even though Satan indeed has power over the human race and the world, his power is limited as Christ is Sovereign over all, including Satan. This does not mean that for the believer the race will be easy. As discussed in part 2 and 3, there is for the true believer a constant struggle against sin and striving for holiness. John elaborates more on what exactly the person of God faces.

Matthew Henry comments:
We have the dehortation or dissuasion thus prefaced and introduced, a caution fundamental to vital practical religion: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, 1 John 2:15. Be crucified to the world, be mortified to the things, to the affairs and enticements, of it." The several degrees of Christians should unite in this, in being dead to the world. Were they thus united, they would soon unite upon other accounts: their love should be reserved for God; throw it not away upon the world. Now here we see the reasons of this dissuasion and caution. They are several, and had need to be so; it is hard to dispute or dissuade disciples themselves from the love of the world. These reasons are taken,

1. From the inconsistency of this love with the love of God: If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 1 John 2:15. The heart of man is narrow, and cannot contain both loves. The world draws down the heart from God; and so the more the love of the world prevails the more the love of God dwindles and decays.

2. From the prohibition of worldly love or lust; it is not ordained of God: It is not of the Father, but is of the world, 1 John 2:16. This love or lust is not appointed of God (he calls us from it), but it intrudes itself from the world; the world is a usurper of our affection. Now here we have the due consideration and notion of the world, according to which it is to be crucified and renounced. The world, physically considered, is good, and is to be admired as the work of God and a glass in which his perfections shine; but it is to be considered in its relation to us now in our corrupted state, and as it works upon our weakness and instigates and inflames our vile affections. There is great affinity and alliance between this world and the flesh, and this world intrudes and encroaches upon the flesh, and thereby makes a party against God. The things of the world therefore are distinguished into three classes, according to the three predominant inclinations of depraved nature; as,

(1.) There is the lust of the flesh. The flesh here, being distinguished from the eyes and the life, imports the body. The lust of the flesh is, subjectively, the humour and appetite of indulging fleshly pleasures; and, objectively, all those things that excite and inflame the pleasures of the flesh. This lust is usually called luxury.

(2.) There is the lust of the eyes. The eyes are delighted with treasures; riches and rich possessions are craved by an extravagant eye; this is the lust of covetousness.

(3.) There is the pride of life. A vain mind craves all the grandeur, equipage, and pomp of a vain-glorious life; this is ambition, and thirst after honour and applause. This is, in part, the disease of the ear; it must be flattered with admiration and praise. The objects of these appetites must be abandoned and renounced; as they engage and engross the affection and desire, they are not of the Father, but of the world, 1 John 2:16. The Father disallows them, and the world should keep them to itself. The lust or appetite to these things must be mortified and subdued; and so the indulging of it is not appointed by the Father, but is insinuated by the ensnaring world.

And Calvin comments:
He had said before that the only rule for living religiously, is to love God; but as, when we are occupied with the vain love of the world, we turn away all our thoughts and affections another way, this vanity must first be torn away from us, in order that the love of God may reign within us. Until our minds are cleansed, the former doctrine (to love God) may be iterated a hundred times, but with no effect: it would be like pouring water on a ball; you can gather, no, not a drop, because there is no empty place to retain water.

By the world understand (John means) everything connected with the present life, apart from the kingdom of God and the hope of eternal life. So he includes in it corruptions of every kind, and the abyss of all evils. In the world are pleasures, delights, and all those allurements by which man is captivated, so as to withdraw himself from God.

Moreover, the love of the world is thus severely condemned, because we must necessarily forget God and ourselves when we regard nothing so much as the earth; and when a corrupt lust of this kind rules in man, and so holds him entangled that he thinks not of the heavenly life, he is possessed by a beastly stupidity.

If any man love the world He proves by an argument from what is contrary, how necessary it is to cast away the love of the world, if we wish to please God; and this he afterwards confirms by an argument drawn from what is inconsistent; for what belongs to the world is wholly at variance with God. We must bear in mind what I have already said, that a corrupt mode of life is here mentioned, which has nothing in common with the kingdom of God, that is, when men become so degenerated, that they are satisfied with the present life, and think no more of immortal life than mute animals. Whosoever, then, makes himself thus a slave to earthly lusts, cannot be of God.

We get the picture from these men much better than I could explain. This world is full of things to draw us away from God and lead us into sins of idolatry, laziness, envy, simply put, worldliness. We have to fight against this evil and overcome. But how exactly? By the Holy Spirit of God within us! If we are truly saved, we do have the Spirit and the Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance and change. This is sanctification. God working in us to mold us into His image, to make us holy and righteous. Yes, Christ has already made us holy and righteous , He has given us His perfection in holiness and obedience in exchange for our sins and total disobedience. But because of this we should be changed, different, not like our old selves and not like the world. We still have a remnant of sin in us until Christ comes back or our bodies die, and we must battle that sin. There must be a new desire to fight sin, and to use your life to glorify God in the ways His Word has revealed. And in this fight, the Holy Spirit leads us as our General in command, He gives us true strength to overcome and walk as Christ walked. Our weapons are simply repentance, prayer, and the Word of God.
 Repentance when you feel temptation creeping or when you have sinned;
prayer for daily strength and protection against sin, and desire to glorify God;
the Word of God read daily for more strength and food for our souls, so that we know what is the will of God for us and how we are to live for Gods glory in light of how deeply He has loved us.

The true believer can overcome the world and sin, not perfectly, but they can, and must have in their very being a strong desire to do so our of love for God. Without this, without a care or desire to overcome the world and the flesh, as Calvin said, they cannot truly be of God. Are you of God?

Learning, Always Learning

I have been away for quite some time. Many things going on in my life right now, many of which are experiential lessons.
 
     I am trying to grow as a husband to my dear wife. In this, so far it has proven to be a very difficult thing. Not because I do not love her or cherish her. That is always the best part of a marriage. It is those things of which are contained in the old vow, "for better, for worse". The hard times, the times we get on each others nerves, the times that one of us does not live up to what we expect of each other. In this, speaking from my side in particular, I have been deeply humbled by Scripture in that "loving your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her", ultimatley starts with being a servant to her. I am praying that I become better at this, as the flesh does not like it. Same thing in my role as a father. I am constantly (not perfectly), looking to Christ and His servanthood authority (what a paradox to the worldy mind!) to guide me in the ways I should act in the home. Taking up the other roles a redeemed head of the house should do has become a part of my practice as well.

   Another issue that I have been humbled in is my stand for Gospel truth. Not that is bad to do so, it is actually biblical to stand for what is clearly taught in Scripture and defend it against those who seek to deviate and lead others to falsity. Yet, I am young and have much to learn, and must learn when to speak and when to not, what is rightful for me to teach and what may not be. In Scripture, one who teaches, whether from a pulpit or in the home or even on the internet, is held to a higher responsibility in the sight of God. If any of you have spent time in the Old Testament, specifically the Prophets; or have meditated upon Jesus' own blunt condemnation of teachers not teaching rightly, or the Pastoral Epistles of Paul, then you can see where my concern is coming from. I do have desire to teach and instruct, to rebuke false doctrine and make sure the children of God can know Biblical orthodoxy... but there are just some things I need to understand more before doing so, and also things of which I am not in a position to teach at this time of my life. One of my last blog posts, from a good while ago, was to be the beginning of a lesson on what a true Pastor is supposed to be like according to the Scripture and why the Church is in so much disarray due to false teachers. I soon lost the desire to post more, not because I am scared to do so because of man, but because I am fearful of God and felt in my consience that I was not in the position to teach these things at this point of time. So forgive me, for anyone who does read my thoughts here, for not going on with it.

   I am praying as to what to do with this blog right now. Please pray with me.
Grace and Peace,
tony bradley