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First Baptist Church101 S. Wilmington StreetRaleigh, North Carolina 27601Dr. Dumas A. Harshaw, Jr., PastorMarch 3, 2021“Hour of Renewal”Bible Study: 1 John 5:3-4Guiding PrinciplesHearing the Story, Sharing the Story, Living the StoryToday’s Lesson5:3a: For this is the love for God,α?τη γ?ρ ?στιν ? ?γ?πη το? θεο?, 5:3b: namely that we persist in keeping his (= God’s) commandments;?να τ?? ?ντολ?? α?το? τηρ?μεν, 5:3c: and his (= God’s) commandments are not difficult to carry out,κα? α? ?ντολα? α?το? βαρε?αι ο?κ ε?σ?ν. 5:4a: because (everyone who has been fathered by God) overcomes the world;?τι π?ν τ? γεγεννημ?νον ?κ το? θεο? νικ? τ?ν κ?σμον· 5:4b: and this is the victory (that overcame the world), our faith.κα? α?τη ?στ?ν ? ν?κη ? νικ?σασα τ?ν κ?σμον, ? π?στι? ?μ?ν. Relevant Words:τηρ?μεν – “to keep” or “to observe” or “to persist in obedience.”γεγεννημ?νον - “to become the parent of” or “to exercise the role of a parental figure” or “has been fathered” or “has been born”, by God.“John’s point is simply this: believers have been fathered by God in the past and that past event has continuing results in the present (cf. 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:18). The focus is upon those who practice righteousness: they have had an ongoing relationship with God.”(Herbert W. Bateman IV & Aaron C. Peer)? ν?κη ? νικ?σασα – “to vanquish” or “to overcome” or “to overcome someone”.? π?στι? ?μ?ν. – “our faith,” in Christ!++++“John reverts to an idea which is never far from the surface of his mind. Obedience is the only proof of love. We cannot prove our love to anyone other than by seeking to please and bring joy to that person.Then, John quite suddenly says a most surprising thing. God’s commandments, he says, are not heavy. We must note two general things here. He certainly does not mean that obedience to God’s commandments is easy to achieve. Christian love is no easy matter. It is never an easy thing to love people whom we do not like or people who hurt our feelings or injure us. It is never an easy thing to solve the problem of living together; and, when it becomes the problem of living together according to the Christian standard of life, it is a task of immense difficulty … There is no doubt that John is remembering that Jesus said: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:30) … With the vision comes the power; with the need for it comes the strength. God does not give us his commandments and then go away and leave us to ourselves. He is there by our side to enable us to carry out what he has commanded. What is impossible for us becomes possible with God.”(William Barclay)GOD IS LIFEIn this chapter we have come to the last major division of this very wonderful little book. In the first part of this epistle, we saw that God is light. In the very extensive center section, we saw that God is love. The subject of this final chapter is God is life.VICTORY OVER THE WORLDIn these first five verses, John talks about victory for the believer over the world. The “world’ here is the cosmos, that is, the world with all of its organizations, all of its governments, all of its selfishness, its greed, its sorrow, its sickness, and its awful sin. John is going to say that it is possible for the child of God to have a victory right down here over this world.”(J. Vernon McGee)“Love for God is not an emotional experience so much as moral obedience. Indeed, whether shown to God or man, agape is practical and active. Love for the brethren expresses itself ‘in deed and in truth’, in sacrificial service (3:17-18); love for God in keeping His commandments. Jesus said the same thing about the meaning of love for Himself (John 14:15,21).”(John Stott) ................
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