The One Who is in You is Greater

Bible Passage: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:1-4)

Introductory note

We must not believe every teacher who professes to have a Divine commission to preach, but test whether they be of God; and the more so because many false prophets are gone out into the world and are working powerfully.

We know that the man who teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, and that he has come in the flesh, is of God. He is inspired by the Divine Spirit because no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of the antichrist refers to all the opponents of Christ’s incarnation, his passion, death, and resurrection, and the benefits to be derived from them.

In verse 4, the word "You" is used by John to address those who confessed Jesus in contrast to the false teachers who are not inspired by God. John affectionately called the community "dear children". They have overcome the false prophets and false teachers because they resisted their teaching. As overcomers, they are not overcome by false teachings, they are from God, or in other words, "born of God". Now they have fellowship with the all-powerful God and walk in holiness. The one who is in the world is the spirit of Antichrist, the devil, "the prince of this world." The spirit of Antichrist is all the opponents of Christ's incarnation, his passion, death, and resurrection, and the benefits of the forgiveness of sin and salvation derived from them. All teachers who do not confess Jesus, are not of God. Those teachers have not been inspired by God. They all belong to the spirit of Antichrist.

Triumph over evil

The one who is in them is greater than the one who is in the world. Therefore they were triumphant over the evil strategies of Satan. The false teachers do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them because "living" involves "fellowship," which is possible between God and his children only by the Holy Spirit. The false teachers are without this fellowship. Therefore they do not love because they do not know love. The antichrist can be in the world and evil spirits can be in the false teachers, but "living in God" is possible only for the children of God. In contrast to the dear children who are from God, the false teachers are from the world. The false teachers are successful "in the world" because their thinking is accommodated to the world's beliefs.

The Spirit of truth

The faithful have knowledge of God through fellowship with him by loving him and abiding in him and his Word. When people confess that Jesus came in the flesh, then the "Spirit of truth" has been present and active. When people deny the Gospel and will not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, it indicates that the spirit of falsehood has been at work. Their willingness to hear and follow the false teachers showed their true colors. Believers who continue to live faithfully in Jesus can know that they are the children of God.

Are you an overcomer?

If you are a world overcomer, you have something inside of you that makes you stronger. You are equipped with the capacity and power to defeat any evil that comes your way. If you’ve made Christ your Lord, then he lives inside you. Before you accepted him as Savior, you were just an ordinary person.

Greater simply means more. The One who is more than enough is in you. If you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the One who is more is inside of you. Because of this, you can overcome it.

We are victorious

We should declare that the greater One makes us victorious. When we declare this, we are giving God a place to work in our lives. We are acting on what we know to be true and declaring it to be so.

We all face life’s trials, and we can take great comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence within us. He’s always present to help. It is all too easy to take our eyes off the one who has set us free and to dwell on the negative circumstances that come at us in life. Look to the inside where the greater one dwells, not to the circumstances.

We can know that regardless of the circumstances we have victory on the inside of us, if we will just allow him to work on our behalf. We can then say with confidence, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. God’s word tells us that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.

"But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11

This is not some different Spirit but the very same Spirit who dwells in us and will give abundant life to our mortal bodies.

Are you in Christ Jesus?

You are under the influence of the Divine Spirit and have overcome the Spirit of the Antichrist. Your testimony, proceeding from the Spirit of Christ, has invalidated theirs, which has proceeded from the influence of Satan, because greater is the Holy Spirit which is in you than the spirit which is in the world.

To be more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, we must begin to walk in the light of the revealed Word of God, to acknowledge his truth above all other circumstances, to be led by the Holy Spirit, and walk in line with his word.

John 10:11-13 says that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand cares nothing for the sheep. He abandons the sheep when he sees the wolf coming and runs away.

If you are in Christ Jesus then the Holy Spirit is within you. If you have never accepted Christ then you need to come to him in repentance and ask him to be the Lord and Master of your life. He is waiting for you. And he had promised that he would never leave you nor forsake you.

Selie Visa