1 John 4:6

We are of God -We" with great emphasis, like -ye" in 1 John 4:4, in contrast to the false prophets. -We" is probably not equivalent to -ye", viz. all true believers: -we" means the Apostles. See on 1 John 4:14 and on 1 John 1:4. The opposition here is not between true and false Christians, but between true and false teachers. Comp. 1 Corinthians 14:37.

he that knoweth God heareth us We might render, -He that increasethin the knowledge of God" (ὁ γινώσκεν τὸν Θεόν). Here once more we have that magisterial tone of Apostolic authority which is so conspicuous in the Prologue (1 John 1:1-4). It underlies the whole Epistle, as it does the whole of the Fourth Gospel, but here and there comes to the surface. It is the quiet confidence of conscious strength. Comp. -He that is of God heareth the words of God; for this cause ye hear them not because ye are not of God"; and, -Every one that is of the Truth heareth My voice" (John 8:47; John 18:37). For ordinary Christians to adopt this language is presumptuous sectarianism.

Note that, as usual, the antithesis is not exact: -he that knowethGod" is balanced by -he that is not ofGod"; indicating that it is the child of God who comes by experience to know Him.

Hereby know we Literally, From this. A fresh sentence should begin here. It is not certain whether -from this" refers to the whole section (1 6), or to the latter half (4 6), or only to the first half of 1 John 4:6. In any case the meaning is, notthat those who hear the Apostle have the Spirit of truth, while those who refuse to hear have the spirit of error; butthat the Apostles have the Spirit of truth because God's children hear them, while the false prophets have the spirit of error because the world hears them.

the spirit of truth The Holy Spirit; John 14:17; John 15:26; John 16:13: comp. 1 Corinthians 2:12, where the whole passage is very similar to this. It is not easy to determine whether the genitive -of truth" expresses the characterof the Spirit, as in -the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13), -the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29), or the source, as in -the Spirit of God" and -the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9; Romans 8:11). The Spirit is the Truth (1 John 5:7), proceeds from Him who is the Truth (John 14:6; John 14:26), communicates and interprets the Truth (John 16:13-14).