Greater Is He Who Is in Me - 1 John 4:4

Welcome to Verse of the Day!

Today's Bible Verse: 1 John 4:4

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (ESV)

Today's Inspiring Thought: Greater Is He Who Is in Me

"He who is in the world" refers to the devil or Satan. There's no doubt that Satan, the evil one, is strong and fierce, but God is much more powerful. Through Jesus Christ, the Lord's mighty strength dwells in us and equips us to overcome the enemy.

In this verse, the verb "overcome" is in a perfect tense, meaning it speaks of a past finished victory and a present state of being an overcomer. In other words, our victory over Satan is finished, complete, and continual.

We are overcomers because Jesus Christ overcame Satan on the cross and continues to overcome him in us. Christ said in John 16:33:

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (ESV)

Don't get the wrong impression. We will still face hard times and tribulations as long as we are living in this world. Jesus said the world would hate us just as it hated him. But at the same time, he stated that he would pray to protect us from the evil one (John 17:14-15).

In the World But Not of the World

Charles Spurgeon once preached:

"Christ does not pray that we should be taken out of the world, because our abode here is for our own good, for the world’s benefit, and for his glory."

In the same sermon, Spurgeon later expounded:

"A tried saint brings more glory to God than an untried one. I do verily think in my own soul that a believer in a dungeon reflects more glory on his Master than a believer in paradise; that a child of God in the burning fiery furnace, whose hair is yet unscorched, and upon whom the smell of the fire has not passed, displays more the glory of Godhead than even he who stands with a crown upon his head, perpetually singing praises before the eternal throne. Nothing reflects so much honor on a workman as a trial of his work, and its endurance of it. So with God, It honors him when his saints preserve their integrity."

Jesus commands us to go out into the world for his honor and glory. He sends us knowing we will be hated and will face trials and temptations, but he reassures us that our ultimate victory is already secure because he himself lives in us.

You Are From God

The writer of 1 John addressed his readers affectionately as little children who were "from God." Never forget that you belong to God. You are his beloved child. As you go out into this world, remember this--you are in this world but not of this world.

Rely on Jesus Christ who lives in you at all times. He will give you victory over every obstacle the devil and the world throw at you.

(Source: Spurgeon, C. H. (1855). Christ’s Prayer for His People. In The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 1, p. 356-358). London: Passmore & Alabaster.)