I John 4:4 - 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.

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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• I John 44 - 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.
• Lets set the stage here with what John had
  articulated in his gospel.
• John 1633 "These things I have spoken to you,
  that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
  will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I
  have overcome the world.
• Now the black vs. white of John continues
• You is emphatic and is best translated as Ye and
  addresses the little children
• Potentially and likely easily deceived
• What dose it mean to overcome?
• Perfect active indicative
• To conquer - to carry off the victory, come off
  victorious
• Positional or conditional?
• Could it be both?
• Compare Heb 214 to Eph 610-18
• Applications
• Of Christ over all His foes

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• Of Christians against the power of their foes,
  temptations and persecutions
• I John 54-5 For whatever is born of God
  overcomes the world. And this is the victory that
  has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who
  overcomes the world, but he who believes that
  Jesus is the Son of God?
• Of this world system, e.g. when one is arraigned
  or goes to law, to win the case
• Paul looks at this similarly but with a slightly
  different twist
• Rom 837 Yet in all these things we are more
  than conquerors through Him who loved us.
• Who is he that is in the world?
• He who lives in the false prophets
• To be contrasted to the He who lives in us.
• The prince who is in the world.
• The spirit of the Antichrist

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• II Cor 44 whose minds the god of this age has
  blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of
  the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
  image of God, should shine on them.
• Note 3 messages directed at believers here
• One that is personal
• One that is of uplifting encouragement
• One that divides the spirit of truth from that of
  error
• John 1417 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world
  cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor
  knows Him but you know Him, for He dwells with
  you and will be in you.
• 1 Cor 212 Now we have received, not the spirit
  of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
  that we might know the things that have been
  freely given to us by God.
• I John 45 - They are of the world. Therefore
  they speak as of the world, and the world hears
  them.
• So who are they?
• Bin Laden, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Adolf Hitler

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• How does the Bible define Antichrist?
• 1 John 222 Who is a liar but he who denies that
  Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies
  the Father and the Son.
• 1 John 43 and every spirit that does not
  confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
  is not of God. And this is the spirit of the
  Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and
  is now already in the world.
• Geneva He brings a reason why the world
  receives these teachers more willingly than the
  true that is, because they speak nothing but
  that which is worldly.
• The false prophets and the world system are in
  perfect unison.
• Can you think of some examples here?
• A reminder from the OT - remember John is
  primarily addressing a Jewish audience
• Jer 531 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the
  priests rule by their own power And My people
  love to have it so. But what will you do in the
  end?
• therefore they speak as of the world, and the
  world hears them
• hears literally hears or attend to,
  understands, perceives

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• The world system has its own administration,
  language, and metrics.
• And what are its metrics?
• Can some of these appear to be good?
• 1 Cor 214 But the natural man does not receive
  the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
  foolishness to him nor can he know them, because
  they are spiritually discerned.
• I John 46 - We are of God. He who knows God
  hears us he who is not of God does not hear us.
  By this we know the spirit of truth and the
  spirit of error.
• John begins here with a conclusive statement -
  literally, we are of the God
• Not some but the God
• Implies our union with Him
• Both John and Paul have stated this in a number
  of ways
• i.e. that we are His children, sons, and heirs.
• and he who knows God (the one knowing God) hears
  us.
• ginosko is the Greek know here
• Present active participle we keep on getting to
  know Him
• John literally repeats what Christ had already
  said in John 847
• he who is not of God does not hear us

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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The First Epistle of John
Spirit of Truth vs. That of Error - I John 44-6

• And this is the way we know the spirit of truth
  and the spirit of error
• I Cor 210-12 - But God has revealed them to us
  through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
  things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man
  knows the things of a man except the spirit of
  the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the
  things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we
  have received, not the spirit of the world, but
  the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
  the things that have been freely given to us by
  God.
• What is error?
• plane factual wrong, delusion, deceit or
  deception
• What is the truth?
• John 146 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the
  truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
  except through Me.
• Since He is the truth, then everything about Him
  is true doctrine.
• John 1526 "But when the Helper comes, whom I
  shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of
  truth who proceeds from the Father, He will
  testify of Me.
• And how important is truth?
• III John 3,4 - For I rejoiced greatly when
  brethren came and testified of the truth that
  is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have
  no greater joy than to hear that my children walk
  in truth.

July 24, 2011 Bob Eckel
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