“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. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 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)
In the closing verses of 1 John 3, John returns to the theme of obedience. He emphasizes keeping two commands: believing in Jesus Christ and loving one another. When we faithfully keep these two commandments, John says we can be confident of two things. First, we can be confident God will hear our prayers and respond to our petitions. Second, if we believe in Jesus and love our brethren, we can know that we abide in Him and He in us.
Overcoming the World with the Spirit of Truth
One reason John emphasizes the need to believe in Jesus is that new ideas about Jesus were circulating among the churches; in particular, some taught that Jesus Christ did not come in a fully human form. John says such corruption is evidence of false prophets working against the gospel of Christ. This spirit of the “antichrist” threatened the church, but if it remained faithful to the gospel John and his fellow apostles preached, God would help them overcome these spiritual threats. John concludes, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
The Anointing of the Holy Spirit
John previously referred to the Holy Spirit several times in the Epistle. He mentions an anointing from the Holy One in 1 John 2:20. This anointing “abides in you and teaches you concerning all things.” The anointing is the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and helps us understand the word of God. In chapter 3, verse 24, John assures us that by the Spirit given to us, we know He abides in us. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. The Spirit reveals the truth and brings us into fellowship.
John says the Spirit helps us overcome false teachers. We can trace the corruption of Christian doctrine back to the influence of Satan and those evil spirits aligned with him. False teaching appeals to a broader spectrum of people because it uses worldly elements to deceive and entrap. We should expect the world to flock to the lust of the flesh found in false teaching. These are formidable foes, but we have no reason to fear or retreat because God’s spirit dwells in us.
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