The Advantages of Truth, in Opposition to Error
1 John 4:4-5
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.…


I. DIVINE TRUTH CARRIES GREATER EVIDENCE ALONG WITH IT.

1. The doctrines which are from God have a more intrinsical goodness in them, and teach such things as are most worthy of God, and more likely to proceed from Him.

2. The external confirmation of Divine doctrines is greater and carries more conviction along with it. By external confirmation I mean chiefly that of miracles.

3. Besides the goodness of the doctrines which are from God, and the external confirmation of them by miracles, the Spirit of God doth likewise illuminate good men, and those who are desirous to know the truth, and hath promised to lead them into it, and to assist them in discerning between truth and falsehood (John 7:17).

II. THE MOTIVES WHICH GOOD MEN HAVE TO PERSUADE THEM TO ADHERE TO TRUTH AND HOLINESS ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN THE MOTIVES TO THE CONTRARY. The believing that "Jesus is the Son of God" infers the belief of His doctrine, and consequently of that eminent part of it, the eternal recompense of another world, which, whosoever firmly believes, will be able to resist and overcome all the temptations of this world.

III. THOSE WHO SINCERELY EMBRACE AND OBEY THE TRUTH OF GOD HAVE A GREATER ASSISTANCE AND ARE ACTED BY A MORE POWERFUL SPIRIT AND PRINCIPLE, THAN, THAT WHICH IS IN THE WORLD.

1. There are these two principles in the world, the Spirit of God and the devil, very active and powerful, the one in good, the other in bad men.

2. The Spirit of God which is in good men is greater than he that is in the world: He is more able and ready to assist men to good purposes than the devil is to tempt and help forward that which is evil.

(1) The Spirit of God is more powerful than the devil.

(2) The Spirit of God is as willing to assist men to good purposes as the devil is to the contrary.

(3) The Spirit of God hath a more free and immediate access to the minds of good men, and a more intimate conjunction with, and operation upon them, than the devil.

3. In what ways the Spirit of God doth move and assist good men.

(1) By exercising good motions in us, and enabling us to bring them to effect.

(2) By supporting us under persecution for religion.

(Abp. Tillotson.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: 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.

WEB: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.




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