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The Victory That Overcomes the World

  • Chalcedon Editorial
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For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. ~ 1 John 5:4

Is there anything more overwhelming than the intimidation of “the world?” We pray for change. We pray for the gospel to advance. We pray for revival. Still, like David, we are stumped at how the wicked prosper while the righteous struggle.

Yet, we are in a much better position than David and the saints of old. We live under the New Covenant of the living Christ, and we should consider that for a moment. Our “founder” is not a legend, or hero, who lived long ago, and we are only advancing His philosophy. Far from it, Christ is alive and present even if there are but a few joined in His name:

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ~ Matt. 18:20

If that’s not enough, consider the fact that our hope of glory is Christ in us (Col. 1:27), and we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) having the very law of God written upon our hearts and minds (Heb. 10:16). That’s why the apostle John could easily say:

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? ~ 1 John 5:5

Fallen Man Does What’s Possible. Faith Does the Impossible

To believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is to have the greatest leg up over the world. In other words, since faith overcomes the world, even if the church was flooded with money, it could not match the social power operative by believing that Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, even an impoverished church can overcome a well-financed world.

However, believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is just the beginning, which is why the New Testament writers expand upon the doctrine of faith by providing real world examples (c.f., Rom. 4:16-25; Heb. 11:4-40) of those who overcame enormous obstacles by their faith.

Faith overcomes the world because faith does the impossible. Fallen man is powerful, but he is limited by the confines of time, space, and causality whereas those who are born of God operate in the realm of God’s possibility where men walk on water, dead bodies rise, tyrants are overcome, the barren are made fruitful, and deliverance is routinely provided.

The Greatest Victories Begin with the Smallest Victories

And when it comes to the postmillennial victory, this is the highest and greatest expression of a faith that overcomes the world because with that victory the world will be overcome completely, as Rushdoony states:

The postmillennial view, while seeing rises and falls in history, sees it moving to the triumph of the people of Christ, the church triumphant from pole to pole, the government of the whole world by the law of God, and then, after a long and glorious reign of peace, the Second Coming and the end of the world.[1]

Where does this all begin? The greatest victories in history begin with the smallest victories in your own life, which is why we at Chalcedon speak so much about a “faith for all of life.” The application of your faith to every area of life is supposed to result in the reconstruction of your life, and this is the idea behind progressive dominion.

Supporting the Long-Term Battle

We simply cannot afford to lose the passion, fire, and conviction of the simplicity of Christian Reconstruction. It is something we must routinely fan to flame in our own hearts and in the hearts of those around us. If that initial flame goes out, we are truly doomed, which is why Chalcedon invests so much time and effort in getting the message out to our ever-growing international audience.

We are a long-term ministry serving a long-term mission. The Biblical examples of faith in Hebrews 11 show men and women “having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise” (v. 39), and although we have the reality of that promise in Christ, we must imitate the faith of our forebears with patience:

And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. ~ Heb. 6:11-12

Since 1965, Chalcedon has served the long-term mission of the advancing Kingdom of God towards a long-term vision of postmillennial victory. As Rushdoony wrote in his first letter to his supporters:

This movement has been a long time in developing: it cannot be defeated overnight. It cannot be defeated by short-sighted people who want victory today or tomorrow, and are unwilling to support the long-term battle.[2]

Are you willing to support the long-term battle—the long-term mission? Then please prayerfully consider sending the most generous tax-deductible gift you can to Chalcedon today. Your financial support is needed to help continue to proclaim and publish the mission and message that we both value so deeply.

Click to learn more about how you can support Chalcedon today.

[1] R. J. Rushdoony, God’s Plan for Victory: The Meaning of Postmillennialism (Vallecito, CA: Chalcedon Foundation, 1997), p. 8.

[2] R. J. Rushdoony, Roots of Reconstruction (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1991), p. 545.

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