1 John 4:5 (WEB)

Passage

They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:3 and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

1 John 4:4 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.

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

1 John 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "therefore", "speak", and "hears". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "You are of God little children and..." into verse 6's "We are of God He who knows...", so "world" and "therefore" 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 "world" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.