Overcoming the world

1 John 5:1, 4-5, 11-12 New International Version (NIV)

1."Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father LOVES his child as well.

4-5 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Dear brethren,  the reality of Christ is fixed. We can't change it. Our own position in  relation to that reality is what crucially relies on what we believe.

Belief in Christ (through God-given faith), must morph into the reality of overcoming the world, through physical manifestation in 3 crucial steps.

Christ Himself overcame the world. And His victory was made manifest through those same 3 crucial witnesses. (1 John 5:7)

1. Water (indicating Baptism)  - a public declaration for Christ

2. Blood (indicating sacrifice) - by dedicating our lives to God's will and purpose, often directly in conflict with our personal dreams, hopes and desires. Submitting to God. This is actual because it is this process that brings about the true change in us.   Therefore our belief and declaration are confirmed in our sacrifice of ourselves for Christ's purpose.

1 John 3:16 New International Version
"This is how we know what LOVE is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."

3. The Spirit -  He is the one who brings everything to pass. He reveals Christ to us, He convinces us to declare openly for Christ, and He transforms our sacrifice into a fulfilment of God's purpose and plan.

John 15:13 New International Version

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Brethren, sacrifice is bloody. If it doesn't hurt, sometimes to death, its probably not a sacrifice.

Selah