Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
What does 1 John 4:4 mean?
Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures, may, in humble dependence on Divine teaching, discern those who set forth doctrines according to the apostles, and those who contradict them.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 1 John 4:4-6 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 1 John 4:4
Ye are of God - You are of his family; you have embraced his truth, and imbibed his Spirit. Little children - Notes, 1 John 2:1 . And have overcome them - Have triumphed over their arts and temptations; their endeavors to draw you into error and sin. The word them in this place seems to refer to the false prophets or teachers who collectively constituted antichrist. The meaning is, that they had frustrated or thwarted all their attempts to turn them away from the truth.
Key words
- and have overcome him
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and have overcome him. Ye are of God, little children,....
- and have overcome him
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and have overcome him.
Context in 1 John 4
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1 John 4 belongs to the late movement of the book, especially the section often described as assurance and final warning. First John is a profound epistle of light, truth, love, assurance, obedience, and confession of the incarnate Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of love, truth, and assurance in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Verses on the fear of the Lord, wise speech, practical judgment, teachability, and the difference between biblical wisdom and mere cleverness.
Passages on lowliness, modesty, the contrast between pride and humility, and the way God exalts those who humble themselves.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.