4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:4-6 KJV)
He that lives in us
In these verses, the apostle encourages the disciples against fear and danger from the deceiving antichristian spirit by the following methods:
- He assures them of a divine principle within them: “You are of God, little children” (1 John 4:4). You are God’s children—born of God, taught by God, anointed by God—and therefore protected from deadly deception. God has his chosen ones who will not be fatally misled.
- He gives them hope of victory: “And have overcome them” (1 John 4:4). You have already overcome these deceivers and their temptations, and there is good reason to believe you will continue to do so because:
First, there is a powerful protector within you: “Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The Spirit of God lives in you, and that Spirit is mightier than any human or devil.
Second, you are not of the same nature as these deceivers. The Spirit of God has shaped your minds for God and heaven, but they belong to the world. The spirit that drives them is focused on worldly things—pomp, pleasure, and self-interest. Therefore, they speak from a worldly perspective. They proclaim a worldly messiah and savior and aim to build a worldly kingdom, seeking to gain the possessions and treasures of the world, forgetting that the true Redeemer’s kingdom is not of this world. This worldly focus gains them followers: “The world hears them” (1 John 4:5). They are followed by others like themselves; the world loves its own. But those who have overcome love for this deceiving world are well on their way to resisting harmful delusions.
- He reminds them that although they may be fewer in number, their understanding is deeper and more divine: “He that knows God hears us” (1 John 4:6). Whoever knows God’s holiness, love, grace, truth, and faithfulness—who understands the prophetic word and the signs God has given—will recognize that God is with us and will listen to us and remain with us.
“He that is not of God does not hear us” (1 John 4:6). Those who don’t know God ignore us. The further people are from God, the further they are from Christ and his faithful servants; the more attached they are to the world, the more distant they are from the spirit of Christianity. This is how we distinguish between us and others: “By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). The doctrine that leads you away from the world and toward God is a mark of the Spirit of truth, in contrast to the spirit of error. The purer and holier a doctrine is, the more likely it is from God.