Meditation 284
1 John 5: 1-6
In this passage we are told that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God conquer the world. This is an amazing promise that is made because of the love of God which has been made known to us through Jesus. Jesus who taught us a new commandment. The new commandment is that we love one another as Jesus has loved us. (John 13:34)
Being able to conquer the world is a big thing to grasp. The world is so large and the needs of the world are so great. I think that the way we conquer the world is not in the way that men and armies have tried to do so. Those of us who are followers of Jesus, who have been commanded to love one another, conquer the world by living the new commandment, and by not becoming like the forces around us. Nelson Mandela famously said “Forgiveness liberates the soul, that is why it is such a powerful weapon.” The normal human reaction to the forces of the world is to react, the new commandment helps us to act as Jesus would. We conquer the world step by step.
This life changing love of God was evident in the life of the apostle Peter who we read about yesterday. Peter had been given a vision to go and visit a Roman soldier, Cornelius, and share the gospel with him. If someone had said to Peter before he had his vision that he would go to a Roman citizen to share the gospel with that one, and to baptize; I do not think that Peter would have believed that such a thing was possible. He had been taught that they way to God was through the covenant that God had given and that Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant. He may have felt that a Roman would need to show adherence to the practices that the Jewish people followed, as well as believe in Jesus. This was the way Peter had come to faith. The Spirit of God compelled Peter to share the good news of Jesus with Cornelius and to hold no other expectation. Peter was beginning to see that God does not make distinctions between people.
The change that took place in Peter’s heart when he responded to the message from God was one of the ways that the love of God is conquering the world. Because of his changed heart, Peter brought the gospel to more people than he would have before. Because of his changed heart he is an example to us of how to reach out to those around us.
Today we would not ask those who are inquiring about faith to observe the way of the first covenant given by God. We did not do so ourselves. It is however tempting, as believers, to give some of our practices too much importance. We can confuse the tradition with the truth. Thankfully, we have been given the love of God which changes the world, and the first change is our heart, so that we are able to bring God’s truth to the circumstance in which we live.