By Bob Wilkin
Many people who’ve watched my YouTube videos on assurance and eternal security have asked me to explain how we can be sure of our eternal security if we’re not sure we’ll be overcomers. They also wonder if 1 John 5:4-5 teaches that all believers are overcomers.
An Overcomer Is Victorious
The word overcomer is from the Greek verb nikaō. The noun form is nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
Nikaō is used twenty-eight times in the NT. It refers to those who are victorious in conflict.
For example, the Lord Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33; see also Rev 17:14).
Synonyms would be victor, winner, conqueror, vanquisher, and champion.
The Lord Jesus is the ultimate Overcomer.
The Apostle Paul was not sure he would overcome (1 Cor 9:27).
No believer can be sure he will overcome.
God Is Testing Us to See Whether We Will Overcome
He tests us through three powerful enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The flesh is the inner desire to sin. Some call this the OSN, the old sin nature.
We are not puppets with God pulling the strings.
The reason He tests us is to determine who will rule with His Son in the life to come.
The Warning Passages Prove That Victory Is Not Certain in the Christian Life
Both Calvinists and Arminians agree that perseverance is not guaranteed. They wrongly think that the issue is kingdom entrance and that failure means you are bound for the lake of fire. While that is not true, they are right that failure is possible. There is no promise that all believers will be victorious.
Assurance of Eternal Security Is Not a Hindrance to Victory
Assurance of everlasting life should produce a profound sense of gratitude. Gratitude is highly motivating.
Fear of failure motivates us to succeed, not to fail. Who wants to fail and reap the consequences? Many negative things can happen to the eternally secure person in this life.
Knowing that Christ will judge us at the Bema shows that assurance does not hinder perseverance. Knowing that I’m eternally secure motivates me to strive for the prize of ruling with Christ (1 Cor 9:24-27). I long for His approval and praise.
Knowing that my life impacts those close to me, whether positively or negatively, shows that assurance does not hinder perseverance. If I overcome, I bless those around me. If not, I don’t. Being eternally secure doesn’t change that.
1 John 5:4-5 Doesn’t Say That All Believers Are Overcomers
Scripture can’t contradict Scripture. Whatever 1 John 5:4-5 means, it doesn’t contradict all the warning passages.
There are two ways to understand how 1 John 5:4-5 relates to Revelation 2–3.
First, Revelation 2–3 looks at the experience of believers, and 1 John 5:4-5 looks at the position of believers. All believers are overcomers positionally, but not in their experience.
Second, both passages look at the experience of believers. 1 John 5:4-5 looks at the experience of believers as long as they live by faith, and so does Revelation 2–3.
1 John 5:4-5 does not mean that all believers overcome in their experience!
Conclusion
I ran track for one year in high school and one year in college, but I never won a race—not once.
Over the last thirty years, I’ve competed in races ranging from 800 meters to marathons. I’ve never won a race.
I’ve completed ten marathons. In a sense, just finishing a marathon makes you an overcomer. I have ten finisher’s medals from marathons.
The author of Hebrews challenged us to run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12:2). At the end of his life Paul said, “I have finished the race” (2 Tim 4:6). If we persevere in faith and good works, we’ll be overcomers.
Eternal security is ours, whether we finish the Christian race or not. You don’t have to finish well to go to heaven when you die.
As long as we continue to believe Jesus’ promise of everlasting life, we remain sure of our eternal destiny with Him.
However, assurance of victory in the Christian life is not possible. We cannot be sure that we will persevere.
We long to hear the Lord Jesus say, “Well done, good servant.” We strive to receive that commendation. But as with any contest, we don’t know whether we’ll succeed. We need to run the race that is set before us with endurance.
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Bob Wilkin is Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society. He and Sharon live in Highland Village, TX.
