”{But} who is the[one] conquering the world if not the [one] having faith that Jesus is the Son of God?”
-Conquering the world. Sounds like an 8-hour board game. World Conquest. Few would aspire to such a feat, no? Global domination. But the aspirations here are not quite so grandiose, are they? Here we are talking about a different kind of battle, not for power or territory or wealth, but rather for Truth. Supremacy of truth. John has already told (reminded) us that the world hates us (3.13), that the spirit of antichrist - that which is against Christ - is in the world (4.3), and is engaged in a desparate attempt to deceive us (2.26), to somehow persuade us to walk in the darkness of sin and dissuade us from believing in and following and loving Jesus, Who is the Truth (1.6). Embracing truth. Walking in truth. Walking out and away from the darkness of the lie and into the Light. Loving truth and this One Who is Truth. The battleground is first and foremost in my own heart and mind.
-Today - am I going to believe the Truth? Am I going to love the Truth, walk in the Light, whatever the cost, am I going to love the Lord with all my heart and love my brother? Or am I going to cave, capitulate and surrender to the Lie, to sin, to darkness, to hate, to the world and its value system and to the devil and all that opposes God and Truth? The liar is the one who denies that Jesus is the Son of God, the One He sent to be the Savior of the world. Whereas the one who trusts that Jesus is Who He says He is, that He is the Messiah, the Son of God - this one is the winner, simply put. That’s pretty much all there is to it, far more auspicious conditions for this victory. Simply believing that Jesus is the Son of God - this is how one wins the game of world conquest. Winner winner chicken dinner. A spiritual version of Risk, perhaps? Altho since most of us are not actually aiming for world domination, ours perhaps is better compared to the game of Life. But there is much more at stake here than a question of who will have the most money and kids at the end of the game. And this is no game in fact. No 8 hour exercise of strategy and mental hijinks. This is a desperate battle not only for my own heart and mind, my very soul, but also for the souls of those around me - my family, my friends and neighbors - a battle of which many of them are not aware, blinded to the spiritual realities all around them, blinded to the Light of the Truth and walking in darkness. And like mindless minions they unwittingly (many of them) oppose the very Truth which would illuminate their souls and set them free.
-Jesus is the Son of God. How does that statement set with you? Victory begins right here. It is within our grasp, if we would only believe...
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