Everyone born of God overcomes the world

The Bible tells us a lot about the new birth. The apostle Paul tells us that if anyone is in Christ, is a new creation, old things has passed away and all things has become new. Jesus also speaks to Nicodemus telling him that it is necessary to be born again. To be born again is to become a new person, casting aside what we were before and immersing ourselves in the will of God.

We who are in Christ are no longer the same people, so I have always held the idea that the only place where we can be transformed from the worst person to a different person is in the arms of our beloved and King Jesus Christ.

Clearly the Bible does not tell us about this without presenting the evidence, because we have the life of the apostle Paul, who first was a persecutor of the church and became the greatest writer of the new testament. On the other hand we have Peter, who denied Christ three times and cut off the ear of a roman soldier, however, he became the great apostle of the early church. And so we have many cases in the Bible of men who were transformed by the power of God and today we have as evidence our own life, which Christ has changed overwhelmingly and we give glory to God for it.

John also told us about being born again:

3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 5:3-5

We who are born of God or those who have been born again, keep His commandments, and the fulfillment of His Word is not an annoying thing, for John says that those of us born of God overcome the world, and our victory is hidden in that cross, in that death of our Lord, that was where He nailed all our sins.

When we speak of being born again, we are not referring to a superficial change or an emotional moment that fades with time. The new birth is a deep and genuine transformation of the heart, a renewal that only the Holy Spirit can produce. It is a spiritual awakening where the old nature begins to die and a new nature, shaped by the grace of God, begins to flourish. The desires that once dominated us—sin, pride, selfishness, spiritual blindness—are gradually replaced by a longing for holiness, obedience, and communion with God. It is not perfection, but direction: a new path, guided by the One who took us from death to life.

Jesus emphasized this truth to Nicodemus because being born again is not optional; it is essential. No one can enter the kingdom of God without this new birth. This means that the Christian life does not begin with rules or religion but with regeneration. God Himself initiates this miracle, opening our eyes and allowing us to understand the beauty of the gospel. Before Christ, we walked in darkness, but through His mercy, the light broke into our lives, revealing our need for forgiveness and giving us a new identity as children of God.

The testimony of Paul is a powerful reminder of this. Saul of Tarsus was violent, harsh, religiously proud, and filled with hatred toward the followers of Jesus. Yet when Christ met him on the road to Damascus, everything changed. His past did not disqualify him; instead, God used his story to display the limitless reach of grace. That same grace is available to anyone today. No one is too far, too broken, or too sinful for God to restore. Being born again means that the worst of sinners can become a vessel of God’s glory.

Peter’s life also teaches us that failure does not define a believer’s future. Peter denied Jesus publicly in the moment of greatest pressure, yet Christ restored him lovingly. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter became bold, courageous, and committed to the mission of the gospel. This is what the new birth accomplishes: it takes ordinary people, full of weaknesses and battles, and turns them into instruments of God’s kingdom.

John’s words confirm this reality: those who are born of God keep His commandments. This obedience is not forced, but joyful. The commands of God are not heavy because His Spirit empowers us to live them. We overcome the world not by our own effort but through the faith that Christ has planted in our hearts. The victory is already won at the cross, and through His resurrection we walk in newness of life. Every believer who has experienced this transformation carries within himself the evidence of God’s renewing power.