Scripture Passage: 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:4-6 NKJV)
Last time in our study, John commanded us (yes, it was an imperative statement) to ‘test the spirits’ so we could know if an idea, concept, or a belief was of God or of the antichrist. He immediately follows up testing the spirits with this passage containing one of the most well-known verses in Scripture: Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
One of the reasons it’s such a well-known verse, I believe, is because one of the most beloved hymns written in 1973 and sung by almost every denomination contains it at its core message. While I’m not going to sing it for you (none of us would want that!), I will share the lyrics of the first verse/stanza:
Greater Is He That Is In Me,
Greater Is He That Is In Me,
Greater Is He That Is In Me,
Than He That Is In The World.
Satan’s Like A Roaring Lion, Roaming To And Fro;
Seeking Whom He May Devour, The Bible Tells Me So.
Many Souls Have Been His Prey, To Fall In Some Weak Hour,
But God Has Promised Us Today, His Overcoming Power.
This hymn is a song of hope and encouragement. It promises that God, Who is in us, is stronger than anything the world or its ruler, Satan, can throw at us. And, it’s a hundred percent true in every way.
Except…
Some of you are tensing at that last word. You’re thinking, “Kent, don’t you dare ruin this awesome song that I’ve loved since childhood for me.” Don’t worry. I’m not. The song, like I said, isn’t wrong in, and of itself.
I just find it rather ironic that this passage with this particular verse would proceed from John’s admonition to ‘test the spirits’ because, friends, the song’s theology might not be incorrect, but its use of this particular verse missed the entire point of what John was saying.
‘Greater is He that is in me’ in this verse is a direct correlation to the previous passage about testing the spirits. About the things that are of God and the things that are of antichrist. This is a prime example of taking a verse out of context to make it fit something else. Yes, the Holy Spirit who resides in all Christians is greater than anything the devil might hurl our way, but within the context of this chapter in 1 John, it’s referring to something very specific. It’s referring to false teaching, false prophets, and bad doctrine.
As a Bible teacher, it’s not my job to simply teach the Bible to you, but to teach you how to teach the Bible to yourself first. Cherry picking and plucking a verse here and a verse there to prove one’s theology is the quickest way to embrace false doctrine. So many bad theological concepts have sprung up this way. Any verse needs to be understood within the context of the passage, the chapter, the book, the entire Bible, and the historic context in which it was written before theology can be accepted (testing the spirits). That’s why simply reading your Bible isn’t enough. We need to study it. We need to meditate on it. We need to truly learn it so we can recognize false teaching as John commands.
So, let’s take a look what this passage is really saying.
1 John 4:4 - You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
We’ve already discussed what this verse isn’t talking about. We’ve discussed how it’s used out of context. What’s often forgotten or not mentioned comes in the first part of the verse. Namely the words/phrases: ‘you are of God’ and you ‘have overcome them.’
We Are of God
John starts out with a compare-contrast statement in the passage itself. He tells us, “You are of God…” in verse four and compares us to “they are of the world” in verse five. Who are of the world? The children of the devil. Children of the antichrist. Anyone who has not confessed that Jesus is Lord who has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2).
What’s more, the fact that we “are of God” means we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us! That’s who John is referring to when he says “He who is in you is greater.”
Okay. That’s kind of obvious to many of us, but what does John mean when he says “we have overcome them”? I mean, we’re still living life. We’re still on earth. Seems like the Enemy is still ruler of this world and things look awfully dark right now. How can John say we’ve overcome them?
Remember, friends, I’m teaching how to study Scripture while keeping a keen eye on context within the passage itself. Don’t let your minds wander. Yes, the devil has already been defeated. The war was won on the cross of Calvary. But this isn’t what the apostle is referring to here. Remember…context.
What’s the context? Testing the spirits. Being vigilant against false teachers. Maintaining doctrinal integrity.
The word here for ‘overcome’ (also translated in some places as ‘victory’) is in present perfect tense. That means it (victory) has happened and is continuing to happen. We cannot be led astray if we test the spirits and listen to the only spirit that matters…the Holy Spirit.
Always remember the test John gave us: “Who is Jesus” in any given thought, idea, or teaching. That is the present-perfect tense victory we have against false teaching, friends. Just like we shouldn’t post so-called ‘news’ articles from questionable sources without doing a little Googling, so too should we not ask that question of everything that is thrown our way. And the amazing thing is, if we ask that question, the Holy Spirit will answer it for us! This is the victory we have!
They are of the World
Now, let’s take a closer look at verses 5 and 6:
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Here’s where John goes into contrasting Christians against everyone else. We are of God. Everyone else is of the world system. And who has been given dominion over the world for a time? The devil.
And where as we have the Holy Spirit to guide us into knowing what is truth, the rest of the world doesn’t. They’re kind of like what James (the brother of Jesus) says of those with no faith: But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1:6).
The world is out there being cast about by every tide of the sea and every wind that blows in any direction.
As Christians, we have our own culture (as discussed a few weeks ago) and language. Being alien residents in the World, we know all too well that those of this world have their own culture and language as well. They speak the language of the devil (deceit and lies) and understand it.
Want to know why there’s such a huge push out there for any science that discounts the creation of the cosmos by God? Because the World doesn’t want God to exist. Therefore, they insist in things like evolution they think eliminates the need for any divine being.
Want to know why anyone who dares speak out biblically in truth about homosexuality, transgender, and a myriad of other sexual sins are labeled as detestable, fascists, and villains? Because the World doesn’t want to give God His due glory. Like their master, the devil, they seek to usurp God from His throne.
Evolution and LGBTQ+ are diametrically opposed to each other from a purely evolutionary point of view. After all, two males and two females can’t procreate, so therefore, there can be no survival of the fittest if that happens. And yet, the two join hands in a fight against God and the Bible out of a desperate desire for God not to be real.
Worse, they’ve begun spreading their message to the youth of our society. They approach them early and young to sway their ideology in hopes of spreading more disdain with God.
But it’s not just about these things. Men who claim to be from God also seek to influence the World with empty platitudes in hopes of filling the coffers and bolstering their own power and celebrity. Joel Osteen comes to mind here, not to mention many celebrity pastors out there who’ve recently come out with woke theology such as Andy Stanley and others.
Listen, brothers and sisters, if a teacher/prophet/idea man is popular with the majority of the world, it means they’re most likely speaking their own language and should automatically be suspect. Last week, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson sadly passed away. Within hours of the announcement, the Internet exploded with essays and blogs and posts about how vile this godly man was because he dared suggest the importance of a biblical family. Dobson didn’t speak the World’s language. They did not understand him and they hated him for it.
That doesn’t mean that popular always equals of the antichrist and unpopular always means of God. Sometimes, evil is just plain evil and not palatable to anyone. Sometimes, God moves through society for the purpose of revival and the things of God find new purchase among the masses.
That’s why it’s so important to always be testing the spirits by asking, “Who is Jesus?” The great news is that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We’re not alone, friends. God is with us and He brings victory in our vigilance against false doctrine!
Father God, thank you for the Holy Spirit who dwells within me…within all your children. Thank you for the victory is continually gives us against false doctrine and bad ideas. Help us, Lord, to be more vigilant in appealing to His help when faced with strange, new ideas…and even old ones. Help us to discern those things that come from You and those that come from the Accuser.
