GREATER

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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The first century church was up against one of the most powerful and most repressive political regimes that there has ever been. 

Domitian

Titus Flavius Domitianus, otherwise known as Domitian, ruled as Caesar of Rome during the time period covered by John’s letters to the church. Domitian ruled with an iron fist and was responsible for banishing the Apostle John into exile on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). 

Domitian was not content with being the most powerful man on earth so he demanded that his subjects venerate him as a god during his lifetime. Failure to comply would have brought harsh penalties to the Jews and Christians alike. 

Domitian also brought in a state tax that the Christians of that time were required to pay if they wanted to be able to worship together without being jailed or tortured. Needless to say, he was a powerful and terrible figure that impacted the early church in a big way. 

Passage

In the passage from John’s letter below you will find a powerful reminder that no matter how powerful the people of the world are, they are no match for God.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

(1 John 4:4-6 NIV11)

Verse 4 – “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

The one that is in you is greater than the one that is in the world. 

That is a huge statement for people who feel the weight of the world’s power pressing down on them. Domitian represented a system of oppression and power that seemed limitless for ordinary people who were just trying to live their lives as faithful children of God. 

Real power is that which lasts for eternity. People like Domitian come and go and are soon forgotten. But those who live this life in fellowship with Christ experience a significance that lasts for eternity. 

Verse 5 – “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.”

The point being made is that real power is not found in this world. Nor is real wisdom to be found in the short sided and self-centered viewpoint of those who operate by the principles of the unbelieving world. 

·  Those who see only from the perspective of the world’s values (greed, lust, self-aggrandizement) are like the blind leading the blind. 

·  Those who know the wisdom of God and who put his word into practice find that their world is flooded with hope and joy that come from sharing in God’s eternal perspective. 

Verse 6 – “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

In John’s gospel, chapter 15, Jesus is heard telling his disciples the same thing. Those who have no faith and no interest in Christ will not listen to the truth. They only want to hear what reinforces their own viewpoint. 

The End of Domitian

Just to close the loop, after Domitian’s death in AD 96, he had grown to be so hated and reviled for his cruelty and self-exultation that the Roman Senate voted to institute “damnatio memoriae”, or the damnation of his memory. This meant that his name was to be removed from all records, statues, and coins. He sought immortality only to find irrelevance. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

Copyright © 2024 Ryan Laden – All Rights Reserved.