YOU HAVE OVERCOME THEM

Passage: 1 John 4:1-6

Key verse: 4

NIV

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,(A) do not believe every spirit,(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(C) 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh(D) is from God,(E) 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.(G)

4 You, dear children,(H) are from God and have overcome them,(I) because the one who is in you(J) is greater than the one who is in the world.(K) 5 They are from the world(L) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.(M) This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth(N) and the spirit of falsehood.(O)

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Footnotes
  1. 1 John 4:6 Or spirit
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, (A)do not believe every spirit, but (B)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for (C)many (D)false prophets (E)have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: (F)every spirit that confesses that (G)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit (H)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and (I)now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for (J)he who is in you is greater than (K)he who is in the world. 5 (L)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and (M)the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. (N)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know (O)the Spirit of truth and (P)the spirit of error.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Discern the spirit (1-3) People want to believe every spirit these days. But not every spirit is from God. Especially we Christians must discern the spirits through testing them. If the spirit acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, it is from God. Jesus became like us as Immanuel God to suffer and die on the cross to forgive our sins. He was raised and became our Savior, the Christ. But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus' coming in flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of antichrist that we have heard and is already in the world. 2. The one who is in you is greater... (4-6) The spirit of this world, Satan is very powerful with ten horns, very sneaky and a veteran liar with seven heads. (Rev 13:1). We have one head with no horns. But we, the children from God have overcome the spirit of this world. It is because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. Worldly people listen to this evil spirit who speaks from the viewpoint of the world. But we are from God. We know God and listen to the messengers of God, the Spirit of truth. We do not listen to the spirit of falsehood (Jn 1 :5).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the clear message about the antichrist that denies Jesus. Let me win the victory over the spirit of this world by Jesus in me, who is greater than the devil.

One Word: Discern and defeat the false spirit