Greater is He
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.
- 1 John 4:4
Because of the Internet, it’s never been easier to study what some of our generation’s most brilliant minds have to say about Scripture. Unfortunately, the Internet has also made it easier to study what lots of other minds have to say about Scripture—and as you can imagine, not all of their musings are edifying. Some of them are harmless, but others are downright dangerous.
The trick isn’t finding opinions about what the Bible says and means; it’s finding trustworthy opinions about what the Bible says and means.
False teachers were a problem in the days of the early church, too. In 1 John 4, John warns his readers not to believe every spirit, but rather to test the spirits to discern that they are, in fact, from God (v. 1).
Verses 2 and 3 very reasonably tell us that spirits that confess Jesus Christ are from God and those that do not, are not from God. You would think that this would be a simple matter that meets with agreement in every body of believers that calls itself a Christian congregation. Unfortunately, in some places, there are multitudes who gather together week after week without any reference to the cross of Christ, the blood of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, or His soon return.
But John gives us great reassurance: we are of God! That means we have overcome the spirits of the world, from whence come false prophets, false doctrine, and entertainers masquerading as preachers. We have been given a resource that lives within us that will identify the spirits of the world.
There is a spirit behind every doctrine. We should not be like baby birds, opening our mouths and closing our eyes to swallow every form of doctrine that shows up on the many and varied forms of media now at our disposal. Our task, and our responsibility, is to discern what kind of spirit is behind the teaching that is being offered. Obviously those that are come from God’s holy Word, the Bible, are trustworthy, but those that play fast and loose with the Word - or leave it out altogether - must be discarded.
The good news is that we have a reliable guide to lead us into the truth. Our guide is the Holy Spirit, who has come to dwell within us from the moment we bowed our knee at the foot of the cross. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to not only discern the truth but to walk in it as an everyday reality. No deception is greater than the ability of the Holy Spirit within you to lead you and guide you into all truth. You don’t have to be afraid of being overcome by false doctrine and crafty deceivers. The One who bears witness to the truth lives within you, and He is greater than the world. What an incredible reality!
Lord, grant me courage as I go through this day. When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don't go my way. And give me the courage to do whatever needs to be done. Amen.
Further Reading
- 1 John 4:4
- Ezra 10:4
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
