Q1. Defeat vs. Victory

[jacquie7]

A defeatist mentality makes us think that we do not have victory or will overcome our trials and tribulations. Our Christian walk is not an easy one but when things get too heavy or become overbearing for us, we must have faith that Jesus is there to help us overcome. The part unbelief has in a defeatist mentality is it keeps us in bondage and interferes with our faith. We must believe and have faith that Jesus is who He is – the Son of God who will never leave or forsake us. Then we must put on all of God’s armor, stand, watch, and let God work.

[Craig]

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5) How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? What part does faith have in this overcoming? What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

The carnal Christian and/or defeatist caves into the things of this world while born-again, committed believers in Christ know that in Christ they have and will continue to overcome the world. There is a determination in Christ to overcome the things of this world and be pleasing to God.

Faith is trusting in God's Word. The Word of God tells the believer that trusting in Him will enable the believer to overcome sin and the things of this world. John wrote in 1 John 4:4: "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater that than the one is in the world."

If a person doesn't believe and understand 1 John 4:4 and that they cannot do all things in Christ (Phil. 4:13), then they will have a defeatist mentality. They will continue to have that mentality until they give their lives and thoughts to Jesus Christ and permit the Holy Spirit to direct their thinking and lives.

[Guitar Jim]

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5) How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world?

 

If we believe we're in a no win struggle then we can't possibly win. If we believe we're more than conquerers in Christ then we CAN win the battle against the world forces that oppose the Christian life.

 

 

 

What part does faith have in this overcoming?

 

Trying to ovecome in our own strength will see us fail. If we put our faith in Christ and ground ourselves in His teaching and in the Word of God, we will overcome temptation and grow spiritually.

 

 

 

What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

 

If we don't believe God will and wants to help us we're already defeated.

 

[Old Jerry]

A defeatist mentality is that of thinking that everything and everybody is against them. They don’t know that Christ has already overcome the world. They have no hope. A person that believes in Christ believes that Christ has overcome the world and we are with Christ and with him we have overcome this world also.

[wifee]

Q1 a)A defeatist mentality allows society’s culture/views about our salvation&how we should live to have greater control of our actions and thoughts because this mindset alone is not strong enough to resist voices of the world saying your saved if good enough.However a believer has HolySpirit in them,assuring them they are saved,adopted into God’s family, enabling them in Christ’s power to overcome the world&offer counter cultural wayof living as Jesus promotes.

b)With gift of faith,we have assurance of eternal life in Christ,and can enjoy this life now &trusting in his divine promises of everlasting love,hope,peace,mercy and forgiveness, our salvation is securebecause with Christ we will prevail in overcoming.

c)Unbelief core of defeatist mentality,it opens the gate allowing enemy into mind convincing us only God knows,so we mistakingly may think “don’t need to overcome the world but move with the times!!”

[tgandy]

If we believe and follow Christ we are not of this world.  Christ's ways and the Christian who follow them do not follow the ways of the those who are of the world.  Worldly ways are not Christian ways. We must make a stand against the evil of the world.  We may only make a dent, but we must try.  a defeatist will not try to change anything.    

[JSF]

How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? What part does faith have in this overcoming? What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

 

I think a defeatist mentality says, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."   I am afraid that even Christians in our society have been and are being conditioned to tolerance and acceptance of sinful practices that are so rebellious against God and a general societal move away from God.   Either that, or we panic.   Faith must stay strong and confident that Jesus has overcome Satan and his influences and it must continue to stand by the truth.  I love this quote from the study:

 

 

We have victory, John is saying, because our Master has taken on the world and won. Maintaining this victory over the dominant culture in our own day requires (1) an understanding of Jesus' victory over sin, the world, and the devil, and (2) our faith, that is, our willingness to stand in this truth in our day and live by it. Even though the call of the world rings in our ears, the voice of Jesus is louder still.

[Uncle Dave]

How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world?

With a defeatist mentality, a person becomes afraid of what the forces of the opposition (Satan) will do to him which could be anything from being shunned, beaten, or even all the way up to death itself. A person who believes that Christ has overcome the world is not so concerned about tribulation because he knows where his reward awaits him.

What part does faith have in this overcoming?

Because you must believe that regardless of what any opposition throws at you, it is just something that comes with the territory. This is a hard pill for many to swallow. One has to undoubtedly know that Jesus has a reward for those who overcome the world.

What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

Because of not believing what Jesus has for us in eternity, a “fear of the unknown” takes hold. Even a fear of knowing what awaits in this world is a form of disbelief and is different from the dread of what awaits in this world as even Jesus wasn’t totally joyful about having to go to the cross as even He asked our Father if it were possible that He might not have to go through with it, but, non-the-less He , although not looking forward to the torture that awaited Him moved forward through His trial which, if we had any idea of how bad it really was, should strengthen us.

[hanks]

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5) 
How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? 
What part does faith have in this overcoming? 
What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?
Once we come to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the enemy’s hold on us is broken for ever. This is the only way to overcome the world – it is through our faith in Jesus. We only have to think back to the crucifixion and the resurrection where this victory was accomplished - no need now for a defeatist mentality – the victory is already ours in Christ!
Our faith as believers has overcome the world and we can now already claim victory. We know that Jesus said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Because Jesus has been victorious, we, too, are victorious with Him. Jesus has overcome the evil of this world and has set us free from the power of Satan. “The battle has thus been decided, even if it is not yet over.” Therefore, if we truly have put our trust in Jesus, it should be difficult to have a defeatist mentality. Victory and faith are synonymous. No evil forces in this world are able to overpower the person who trusts in Jesus.
It is only unbelief that can undermine our faith and give us this defeatist mentality – it means that we have succumbed to the lies of the devil. As mentioned earlier, it is our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God that has overcomes the world, and when we place our faith in Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:37-39; 1Cor 15:57). 
Being yoked with Jesus Christ means that our burden is much easier. Remembering that it is not through any power of our own or anything we do or control – it is only because of Jesus’ victory over sin – that we have overcome the world. We are no longer slaves to sin. Also, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have new powers of endurance and new courage to face the foe.
 

[haar]

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5)

How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? What part does faith have in this overcoming?

A. A defeatist mentality makes one to surrender quickly when a challenge strikes while faith in the victory of Jesus Christ who is in us will make us to stand and look forward to victory over our challenges too. In this fight in the power of our Lord Jesus, faith is extremely necessary to keep us standing in the face of the intimidating challenges.

Q. What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

A. Unbelief in the Lord's ability to give us victory over our challenges makes people to consider the battle lost even before the battle starts.

[Reuben]

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5) How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? What part does faith have in this overcoming? What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality

A defeatist accepts failure, and gives up. He loses hope. He sees no purpose. He stops trying and resigns to defeat. He sees the end of he line. He lets the world rule his thinking and guide his reality. As a Christian we are walking with God and all the promises and belief in these promises that makes us a people apart, and being in this world but not ruled by this world. We have the joy of living with real hope of a great future, here and now walking with God, and later , everlasting, when we depart from this world to go to our new home with our Father.

You can not look forward to something and overcome the present, if you did not believe that your future is guaranteed. Having faith and believing with no doubt will make you rise above the world, and overcome the world, and endure longsuffering to reach the end of the line with your reward waiting.

Unbelief will prevent a person from accepting the promises and truths that we have as Christians. It will allow a defeatist to mentally fall in a spiral of doubt, fear, worries, anxiety, depression, negativity, and more darkness exactly as the enemy wants it. All these issues go away as soon as Jesus enters our lives and we make him the lamp to our paths.

 

[Krissi]

I can't answer this adequately.

True, Christ has overcome the world, but there's a yet-but-not-yet quality to His overcoming. Obviously, sin exists in the hearts and minds of Christians.  So believing that Christ has overcome the world ignores the problem which is, quite frankly, that the sin in us has NOT been overcome, in any lived or felt sense.

I know that from an eternal perspective, sin has been overcome as the world is subjugated to Him, but this will happen during His second coming, not after His first coming which is the time frame in which I live. The faith I have in His overcoming is a futuristic faith, then, a faith that says it's been promised, but not yet delivered.

Is this a defeatist or realistic mentality? I think it's realistic. It would be a defeatist mentality if I gave up and succumbed to sin, but I'm struggling against sin with the help and encouragement of the Holy Spirit. I'm not defeatist ... but have not overcome.  Similarly, Christ has not overcome the darknesses in the world ... yet.

[Rob Mc.]

(1 John 5:4-5) How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? What part does faith have in this overcoming?  What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality?

Being defeatist internally causes one to look at the glass as half empty.  Woe is me, woe is me.  I am not worthy of any goodness in my life, because I sin and live mostly in the world.  I don’t recognize Christ as the Son of God, and I enjoy worldly pleasures too much to change.

Now, if I can TRULY accept Christ as my savior, recognizing that he was the Son of God, born of the flesh, lived as a man, suffered a horrible death and was risen on the 3^rd day, I can overcome the temptations of the world and live like Christ. I can do this because I have both Christ and the Holy Spirit living in me.  The two keys are: (1) Believing in Jesus’ life, love, death and resurrection, and as a result,  (2) following His two greatest commands, love God (and his Son) and Love your neighbors in Christ.