April 7, 2025–1 John 4:4 - "Greater Is He That Is In You"

1 John 4:4

" 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."

In 1 John 4:1, the apostle John warns believers to exercise spiritual discernment, warning them that not every "spirit" is from God: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." Why does he refer to false prophets as "spirits?" John is speaking of the influence of a false spirit behind human teachers, not just the people themselves. Many false prophets have gone out into the world, denying the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death for the justification of the sinners that He came to save. The call to test the spirits is not merely a matter of human wisdom or vigilance, but a fruit of God's Spirit, 1 Corinthians 14:1.

Those who confess Christ in truth do so not by natural insight, but because the Spirit of truth abides in them. All of God's children have the Holy Spirit abiding in them, and it is the Spirit of God in them that gives them wisdom not to believe any preacher, just because they appear to speak on behalf of God, although not sent by Him. It is the Spirit of God Himself who enables His people to recognize Truth from error (John 16:13). Therefore, when John proclaims in verse 4 that "ye are of God," he is reminding the saints (justified and sanctified by Christ in His death on the cross) that their perseverance in the Truth is not due to their strength, but to the Spirit of Christ who dwells in them by sovereign grace. The victory over deception and the devil is not something they earn by their efforts, but something that Christ has obtained for them and gives by His Spirit.

The world is swirling with deception, false teaching, and spiritual darkness. Therefore, the apostle John, continues to warn the true children against error of any kind, no matter how subtle the leaven. When He tells them "Ye are of God, little children," these are not mere words of encouragement; they are words rooted in the unshakable foundation being in Christ by God's electing grace, redeemed and justified by His shed blood unto death, and the Spirit of Christ in them preserving and keeping them in the Truth. We are not children because of any personal choice or decision on our part. Just like the birth of a child in any family, it's not the choice of the child, but the effect of the physical union of the father and mother. Even so, God the Father chose us, called us, and placed His Spirit within us. "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Romans 9:16).

False doctrines when compared with the Word of God may be subtle or not so subtle. For that reason, Paul told the Ephesians, even as John writes his hearers, to put on the full armor of God to be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth, and having on the Breastplate of Righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace; Above all, taking the Shield of Faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:" (Ephesians 6:14-17). As His children, we put on Christ Jesus, Who is the whole Armor of God, the Power of His Might, the Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, the Sword of the Spirit, the Gospel of Peace, the Word of God!

In Romans 13:14, Paul says, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ..." That’s what the armor of God is for the complete protection of His people that He has chosen. To put on the armor is to put on Christ Himself. He is the Belt, the Breastplate, the Shoes, the Shield, the Helmet, and the Sword. “Ye are complete in him…” (Colossians 2:10).“He is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). From head to foot, in every battle, against every false enemy, Christ is the full Armor who protects each of God's children wholly and completely so that nothing can take them away from Him, wherein we stand and withstand every false way.

Even so, John writes to the Church threatened by false teachers—antichrists who deny Christ’s Person and work. And yet, he says, “Ye... have overcome them.”  Notice that he does not say you can overcome if you do this or that, but rather: “Ye... HAVE overcome them,” which can only be by the finished work of the LORD Jesus on behalf of each of those for whom He died, rose again, and ascended into Glory (Colossians 2:10-15). It's not because of wit, intellect, or strength. But because "greater is He that is in you." The Spirit of God—the very Spirit of Christ—abides in every true believer. He is greater than the enemy, greater than deception, greater than any spirit of antichrist that prowls the world.

We must never put any confidence in the flesh, ours or anyone else's. Rather, the call is to rest in the victory that the LORD Jesus Christ has earned and established for His people. The elect of God will never be ultimately deceived, because they are kept by the power of the One who indwells them, Christ in YOU, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Christ has not only redeemed His people from the guilt of sin but also from the dominion of error. His sheep hear His voice, and a stranger they will not follow (John 10: 4–5). The Spirit within guards, guides, and teaches them all things necessary for life and godliness (1 John 2:27; 2 Peter 1:3).

To say “greater is He that is in you” is to proclaim the sovereign preservation of the saints by God Himself. God does not merely begin a work in His elect; He finishes it (Philippians 1:6). His Spirit does not enter a believer only to be evicted by the lies of the evil one. No—He abides forever. And because the indwelling Christ is "greater than he that is in the world, " we will endure, we will persevere, and we will overcome.

The Father is to be praised for His sovereign Grace in Christ, and for giving His Spirit to each one that He chose and Christ redeemed. We are nothing without Christ in us, as the Light, HE is greater than any darkness in the world, or within us, and fully able as the Creator and Giver of Light and Life to keep each of His own in the TRUTH. May He continue to keep and preserve us from error and cause us to abide in Him Who has already overcome every enemy, and in HIM therefore, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).