Examining Christian Certainties (Part Four)

From the heart of Dr. R. L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Expositor & Teacher. The second of these Christian certainties is, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Here the believer is given the certainty of relationship with God! When John says, “we know that we are of God” he’s referring to the truth that a fundamental separation has occurred between us and the world system to which we once belonged; that we now are “of God,” we are walking in His direction, we are going on with Him. We’re no longer of the world. John says, The world, on the other hand, “lies in the power of the evil one.” This means the “whole world” is going a different direction. We live in this world. We were born in it, we grew up in it. But now that we have become Christians, we no longer can be like it. A fundamental separation has occurred. We are no longer in the same relationship. We now see the world for what it is, something that’s lying in the power of the evil one. Paul says the same thing. He says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1-2). This is the truth about the world. It is satanically controlled. Three times Jesus referred to Satan as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Other passages of Scripture call Satan “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The teaching in 1 John 5:19 means that Christians are confident they belong to God, while the entire world is under the control of the “evil one” (Satan). It highlights the stark contrast between those who are born of God and the worldly influence of evil; essentially stating that believers are not part of the world’s spiritual darkness, but rather stand firmly with God. For the believer, it just doesn’t get any better! Be encouraged!