1 John 4:6 (DRB)

Passage

We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1 John 4:5 They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them.

1 John 4:6 We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 John 4:7 Dearly beloved, let us love one another: for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God.

1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is charity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "knoweth", "heareth", "truth", and "error". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "knoweth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "They are of the world Therefore of..." into verse 7's "Dearly beloved let us love one another...", so "Spirit" and "knoweth" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "knoweth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.