What Does 1 John 4:6 Mean?

We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 John 4:6(NASB)

Verse of the Day

As Christians, born of God, we are urged to know the truth and to abide by the truth, for the truth will set us free. The truth of God is set out in the Word of God which points to Christ. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega of all grace and truth: "Those who know God will listen to us speaking His Word of truth, but those who are not from God will not pay heed to us. And by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error."

There is much in this world that pours scorn on our Christian faith and denies the truth, distorts the truth, promotes a half-truth, or peddles a twisted truth. There are those in the world that view truth as relative so that what is true for you may not be true for me. This is the spirit of error and proceeds from a spirit of antichrist. Those that seek to water down the Word of God in order to flatter the lust of the flesh and the prideful desires of fallen man, side-step the issue of the blood-stained Cross of Christ, Whose precious blood was shed for the sin of the world so that whosoever believes in Him might be saved.

We are from God and are encouraged to test the spirits to see whether they are from Him or if they emanate from an unbiblical worldview. We are to test what is promoted as truth to see if it lines up with God's unalterable Word of Truth or if it proceeds from the wisdom of man and the spirit of error. We are from God, and we are to speak the truth in love.

The wisdom of the world and the multiplicity of 'truths' that emerge from the minds of men proceeds from a worldview that is antichrist at its core. Those that seek to compromise the gospel of Christ deny both the fundamentals of the gospel of grace and the truth of God's Word, and they will not listen to the truth.

Jesus Christ is the truth from God and any 'truth' that does not line up with the truth of God's Word is spawned from a spirit of antichrist; a spirit of error that is rooted in the world, a spirit that is not from God, and a spirit that will not listen to the truth.

How blessed we are to be from God and have the indwelling Spirit of God living within our heart. It is the Spirit of Truth Who guides us into all truth, by means of the unchangeable Word of truth so that we can cry out 'Abba' and have an inner assurance that God hears us and answers our call.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that I am born of God and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Help me to listen to the gentle promptings and wise correction of the Holy Spirit and give me discernment to recognise any spirit of error. Help me always to have an answer ready for the hope that is in me and give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to remain silent. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

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