1 John 4:1-6

Read 1 John 4:1-6

Helpful Background Information: 

• In this passage, John is responding to the false teachers who were attempting to deceive members of the church. The specific falsehood they were teaching likely had to do with Jesus being fully God and fully man, as the Messiah. Paul gives in this passage a way to identify if these teachers were false or not, the standard of the gospel. False teachers are those who preach a different gospel than the one that is presented in Scripture. In the first century, these false teachers often spoke of their new gospel in a way that framed it as a secret reality that needed to be revealed through special revelation. This still happens today in various ways. As John describes in this passage, the Holy Spirit acknowledges what is true about the gospel. While other spirits or false teachers might try to replicate the Holy Spirit, the work of the Holy Spirit can be tested and proved through Scripture. 

• John makes the promise in this passage that the One who is in the readers is greater than the one who is in the world. This concept recalls Old Testament principles that can be found in passages like 2 Kings 6:16, and 2 Chronicles 32:7-8. By recalling this precedent, John is reminding his readers that they were not experiencing anything new, but standing within Israel’s tradition. Similarly, Ephesians 6:10-12 also speaks of how the devil schemes against believers, but it is by God’s strength that Christians are strengthened against him. 

Reflection Questions: 

• As John is encouraging believers to discern what is of the Holy Spirit and what is of the antichrist, he tells them to compare what is taught to the truth about Jesus. How can you get to know Scripture better for the sake of discernment? 

• What are some false teachings that we have in our world today? How can you be prepared to defend your faith against people who believe these false gospels?

• Knowing that He who is in you is greater than the enemy, how can you live confidently in this? What do you need to ask for from the Holy Spirit in this?