“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5)

In these verses, John introduces the idea of “overcoming the world.” What is he talking about?

For background, we need to remember that all of us have three enemies. Biblically speaking, these are the world, the flesh and the Devil. 

The first enemy is “the world.” 

This means “human systems that function in ungodly ways.”* There are social movements, ideologies and even (some) government policies in our society which are against God. When the apostle John talks about “the world” in his letters, this is often what he is referring to. 

The second enemy is our own “flesh.”

This is our sinful nature and actions. When Paul talks about the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19) this is what he is talking about.

The third enemy is the Devil. 

Perhaps this is the most obvious category. The Devil and his workers have rebelled against their Creator. Not only do they hate God but they hate people made in God’s image. They especially hate Christians because, among other reasons, we belong to Christ, the one who disarmed them on the cross and authored their eventual and final defeat.

Those are the three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. 

Let’s circle back to the original idea of overcoming the world. John’s meaning is that people who have been born of God (followers of Christ) are no longer enslaved to the dark forces of “the world” (which, as you will recall, is one of our enemies). Since God’s Spirit lives in us and works through us, we are increasingly able to serve God’s purposes of grace and truth in his kingdom.

Life can be difficult—and dark. But we are not defined by that difficulty and darkness. We are defined by the victorious Lord of life and light.

Brothers and sisters, as you go about your day, let’s cooperate with God’s Spirit, and live like the overcomers God has created us to be!

Notes:
-*Spiritual Warfare—a talk with Jon Thompson,” The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan, March 15, 2022.
-The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on November 3, 2025.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.