“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
My Notes
What Does 1 John 4:6 Mean?
John draws a stark line: those who know God listen to the apostolic witness; those who don't, don't. "We are of God" is his claim to authority as an eyewitness to Christ, and the test he proposes is relational — it's about whether people receive or reject this testimony.
The phrase "hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" gives a practical discernment tool. In a time when multiple voices claimed to speak for God, John offers a filter: does this teaching align with the apostolic witness about who Jesus is and what he came to do? If yes, it's the spirit of truth. If not, it's the spirit of error. The test isn't about feelings or spiritual impressions — it's about content.
This can sound arrogant out of context, but John isn't claiming personal infallibility. He's pointing to the eyewitness tradition — the testimony of those who walked with Jesus, heard his teaching, and saw his resurrection. The question isn't "do you agree with John?" but "do you receive the testimony about Christ that John and the other apostles transmitted?"
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you currently discern between trustworthy and untrustworthy spiritual teaching?
- 2.Does John's test — alignment with apostolic testimony about Jesus — feel sufficient for the complexity of today's spiritual landscape?
- 3.How do you handle it when someone you respect teaches something that doesn't align with Scripture?
- 4.What's the difference between discernment and judgmentalism when evaluating spiritual voices?
Devotional
We live in a time with more spiritual voices than ever — podcasts, books, influencers, teachers all claiming to represent truth. John's discernment test feels almost too simple for our complicated information landscape: does this voice align with the apostolic testimony about Jesus?
But simplicity isn't the same as simplistic. This test cuts through an enormous amount of confusion. When someone claims spiritual authority, you don't need to evaluate their charisma, their platform size, or how their teaching makes you feel. You need to ask: what are they saying about Jesus? Does it match what the apostles testified?
John also names something we'd rather not face: some people don't listen to truth because they are not of God. That's uncomfortable. We want everyone to be persuadable, everyone to be one good argument away from belief. But John acknowledges that rejection of truth is sometimes a spiritual condition, not an intellectual one.
This should give you both confidence and humility. Confidence because truth doesn't need everyone's approval to be true. Humility because your job is to faithfully transmit the testimony, not to guarantee its reception.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
We are of God,.... Not only as the chosen of God, the children of God, regenerated ones, and believers, but as ministers…
We are of God - John here, doubtless, refers to himself, and to those who taught the same doctrines which he did. He…
We are of God - We, apostles, have the Spirit of God, and speak and teach by that Spirit. He that knoweth God - who has…
In these verses the apostle encourages the disciples against the fear and danger of this seducing antichristian spirit,…
We are of God -We" with great emphasis, like -ye" in 1Jn 4:4, in contrast to the false prophets. -We" is probably not…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture