“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2 ESV)
There is much evidence in the word of God that we are to overcome sin and live holy lives.
We can only achieve this with the indwelling light of the Holy Spirit; with the Spirit permeating our lives united as a church; as the pure Bride of Christ. The sanctification of the Spirit is the key process that brings the church “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2) to meet Jesus Christ face to face at His Second Advent.
Let’s look at ten scriptures presenting John’s teaching of “overcoming” in first John and then his prophecies imparted by Jesus to him for the church today in Revelation:
- 1 John 5:4
“…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith”
1 John 5:3-5 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter) - 1 John 5:5
“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”
1 John 5:4-6 (in Context) 1 John 5 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 2:7
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”
Revelation 2:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 2:11
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death”
Revelation 2:10-12 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 2:17
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it”
Revelation 2:16-18 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 2:26
“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations”
Revelation 2:25-27 (in Context) Revelation 2 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 3:5
“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels”
Revelation 3:4-6 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 3:12
“Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name”
Revelation 3:11-13 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 3:21
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne”
Revelation 3:20-22 (in Context) Revelation 3 (Whole Chapter) - Revelation 21:7
“He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son”
Revelation 21:6-8 (in Context) Revelation 21 (Whole Chapter)
To add insight to these “overcoming” scriptures symbolising holy living, let’s look at Pauls view in Romans chapter eight. He makes it clear that the church is made up of true believers engaged in this sanctification process who are freed from any condemnation through their faith in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee of their salvation:
“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2)
“the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)
“if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14)
Only those who walk in the Spirit can possibly overcome sin and the world. They are the residents of the Holy City now called the New Jerusalem that John referred to in our scriptural list.
The metaphor of our prefacing verse indicates that the church is prepared as a Bride, prepared to meet and enter a long-term allegiance of loving transparent, honest oneness with Him. This is in contradistinction to the people walking in the flesh in the Old Jerusalem who turned their back on Him. In God’s plan, the old Jewish ways were going to be transformed anew into spiritual allegories depicting greater truths; an abiding relationship with Jesus (with His Father) in the Spirit (see the metaphor of Abiding in the Vine, John 15)
Jesus reveals in Revelation that His angel is trying to inform us of this important message to allow His Spirit to indwell our hearts. Listen, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches” (Revelation 22:16).