Belonging in the Spirit of God
You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:4-6 CSB
Yesterday, we read how the spirits from Satan that influence the false teachers are already in the world, it may seem overwhelming to the believers, like being surrounded by an opposing outnumbering army. Yet, John encourages the believers stating a powerful yet simple truth, “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them (meaning the false prophets and spirits of Satan), because the One who is in you is greater than the One who is in the world.” Within every believer, the Holy Spirit dwells within them, as seen in Romans 8:9, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Satan has powerful influence over the world, even being deemed as the ruler of the world. Yet, in the end, he will be dethroned, as seen in John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” In the meantime, John challenges the believers by setting a clear dividing line, “Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.” The Holy Spirit will convict believers of their sin, call them to repent and to lead them to live the life of righteousness. This is the reason why Jesus came and this is what is found in the Word of God. “When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:8). Therefore, it matters that we belong to the Spirit of God and not the spirit of the world. “Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). The world owned by the spirit of deception, Satan, will be opposed to God’s ways. Therefore, believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to give them guidance and wisdom to discern the truth, through prayer and meditation in the Word of God, and not to follow the wisdom of the world. “Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
