LEARNING DAILY

 

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.

 

John has been writing about opposition Believers have from the world – false teachers, worldly pressures and temptations, and all other types of evil faced from the world. He wrote in the first three verses of chapter 4 that Believers are not to believe everything they hear or read about walking on the narrow way. Why not? It is because everyone who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ is from God is not of God. Anyone who teaches false teaching about Jesus Christ, such as teaching He was not God, is actually a false teacher speaking on the behalf of Satan, “he who is in the world”. John is writing about difference between the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of Satan; or to say it another way, Christ is greater than Satan.

 

John wrote to those who he believed were true Believers and because of that, God was living in them. That would include the faithful followers of Jesus Christ today who trust only in God’s written Word to be foundational to their walk on the narrow way. There are many counterfeit faiths today that teach their versions of Christianity; be careful of them because they deny the Word of God as completely revealed truth. They teach new prophecies are needed, new experiences and new techniques are needed to reach God and walk with Him. Even in mainline denominations, I have heard that adult Sunday School teachers have said the Bible is outdated. How do people keep from getting drawn into this type of teaching? John wrote that true Believers have “overcome them”. That means because The Holy Spirit lives with them and alerts them to false teaching, even when it sounds so good. Have you ever gotten that “feeling” when you heard someone teach something that something is not right? That’s the Holy Spirit alerting you to be alert, to not buy into a teaching until you have checked it against the Word of God. He, the Holy Spirit in you is greater than he who is in the world, the false teacher being led by Satan. This should encourage every believer to not fear the false teachers that are in the world. It should be an encouragement to stay in God’s Word daily so when the false teaching comes every believer can be sure to know that it is contrary to God’s Word. At the very least, when something does not seem true, one can seek out one that knows Scripture for their advice.

 

This comes from John’s command to test the spirits or the teaching.  He said to compare the words and the lifestyle of the teacher against the Word of God to see if they align. Believers must stop believing that another’s ministry or spiritual experience is from God just because the person claims it is! All teaching that a person claims to be from the Holy spirit or an angel that cannot be supported by sound Biblical exegesis (a thorough examination of what the Bible says) is not to be believed. You examine this blog to be sure it is Biblically exact and true. Believe me, there are several who read this that will correct or challenge me immediately if it is not! That is very important to me! What a victory we have in Jesus Christ who leads us in righteousness and truth into eternal life in His kingdom. We have no reason to fear the false teaching around us as we trust and depend on Him to keep us from deception as long as we walk on the narrow way!