IN THE POWER OF THE EVIL ONE - 1 JOHN 5:19

Verse 19: We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

In the previous post, the predicament of the whole world was explained, that because it resides under the power of the evil one, Satan, the whole of humanity, believers and unbelievers alike, are vulnerable to his deceitful schemes (Ephesians 6:11). The apostle Paul declared Satan as "the god of this world" and his twofold goal: that he "has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4); and that his primary objective for believers is to distort the truth of God’s Word with his “doctrine of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1) in order that believers will no longer be able to “endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). Satan further influences believers with a false system of spirituality, encouraging the notion that being spiritual is achieved by doing “good" things: praying, witnessing, attending church, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, financial giving, etc.

Although Scripture does not oppose these things, but by themselves, they are not the basis of true spirituality. However, they could be evidence of spirituality, but only if the believer heeds the apostle Paul's instruction to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) and his caution that we “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19); for sin quenches the Holy Spirit by short-circuiting His power, thus severing our abiding fellowship with God.

L.S. Chafer illustrates:

The Bible teaches that there are two classes of Christians: those who “abide in Christ,” and those who “abide not”; those who are “walking in the light,” and those who “walk in darkness”; those who “walk by the Spirit,” and those who “walk as men”; those who “walk in newness of life,” and those who “walk after the flesh.”1

Chafer concludes: “That ministry of the Holy Spirit which is termed His filling is the very center of the entire theme of the spiritual life.”2

Mystical Christianity

The understanding of true spirituality3 demands an intense study of God’s Word. This is something that is not emphasized nor desired by many believers because of how truly difficult it is to study, since it requires a great deal of time, concentration and focus.

Instead, many believers today rely upon a false system of spirituality—a mystical Christianity: seeking personal revelations, miracles, voices from God, dreams and varieties of entertainment. None of these are an accurate or reliable means for spiritual guidance or growth to spiritual maturity.

Scripture is the final authority for the believer in faith and practice, asserting that during the Church Age today, there are no personal special revelations in these last days, as the writer of Hebrews proclaimed:

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

The absolute truth of Scripture was Our Lord’s choice to protect His disciples from the world and the evil one after His death: "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (John 17:17). And since Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has been declared as the Word (John 1:1), Scripture is the sufficient information source for the believer’s guidance in every circumstance of life. This is how we avoid succumbing to the power of the evil one.

But note further Our Lord’s request: “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). What this means is that throughout the Church Age all who believe in Jesus Christ based upon the 1^st century apostolic proclamation of the gospel of salvation, they are included in Our Lord’s protective supervision against the deceptive schemes of the evil one.

Something to Consider

The sharply divided groups of people on earth are here characterized by the fact that believers are of God and the rest of the world's population is obliviously bound in the power of the evil one. However, being of God there is a noble type of bondage to our God, our Creator (2 Peter 1:1; Romans 1:1; James 1:1; Jude 1; cf. 1 Peter 2:16; Ephesians 6:6). And yet this is genuine freedom, to enjoy our present life as "slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:18-23) as well as the life to come (Revelation 21:4). For the unbeliever in power of the evil one, there is enslavement to his evil whims (John 8:44) and the disastrous prospect of eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

Believers must be aware that they can come under the bondage of Satan by allowing themselves to be enslaved to his false system of spirituality. Believers may indulge themselves in believing that doing "good" things makes them spiritual, but the apostle Paul depicted them as "wood, hay, straw" (1 Corinthians 3:12) and those works will be burned up and the believer "will suffer loss" (1 Corinthians 3:15). Thus, being defiant and dismissive towards the Lord’s standard for achieving and maintaining true spirituality leads to loss of rewards. For only when we are free of sin and filled with the Holy Spirit can we accurately "do the things that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:22; cf. Hebrews 13:21). 

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[1] Chafer, L. S. (1918). He That Is Spiritual. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, p. 29.

[2] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 6.42.

[3] The reader is encouraged to read the section of “True Spirituality” in the post of 1 John 1:9.

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

THE PREDICAMENT OF THE WORLD - 1 JOHN 5:19

Verse 19: We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

John introduces the second we know, that our absolute status is that we are of God, as an indication of our spiritual birth. This corresponds to the expression in the previous verse that Jesus was born of God. Thus, John emphasizes that our spiritual life also has its origin in God.1 We can never be arrogant of the truth of our eternal position, since we did nothing to attain our salvation, for Christ accomplished it all in our place on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). It is on the basis of God’s grace which we have been saved (Ephesians 2:5) and received by our expression of faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).

Whole World

In contrast to our status, John declares that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. There is an old traditional African-American spiritual, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," first published in 1927. This popular song only emphasizes half of the biblical fact. For indeed, God the Father “created the heavens and earth” (Genesis 1:1) and “in whose hands are the depths of the earth” (Psalm 95:4). But Scripture characterizes God’s world as having gone awry and permitting Satan to have his evil sway over all the inhabitants.

It is worth repeating the description of the world (the cosmos) given by the L.S. Chafer:    

The cosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted, which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God—a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share, who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects…This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies, its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled the satanic system, which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, cosmos.2

So from this description we can understand the reason John states that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one; he is implying that the world lies passively and “does not even struggle against the devil.”3 We know this is true if we are objective observers of the culture around us. The vast majority of unbelievers have no concept or concern that the origin of evil is from Satan and they are entangled in his power. Granted, some are fascinated and even unwittingly indulge in demonic activities. But God, angels, Christianity, the devil are considered fairy tales by many, hardened by the blinding of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and unfortunately it is reinforced by the television and movie industry.

What should stagger our imagination is that God demonstrated His loved in a particular manner for the whole world: by offering His Son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16). And we should not forget John’s assertion that this was accomplished not for our sins only, “but for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). This is the amazing grace of God, how awe-inspiring is this eternal truth!

Believers in the World

It goes without saying that the whole world also includes all believers in Jesus Christ. Yet the fact that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b) does not eliminate the reality that believers are equally susceptible to “the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). The apostle Paul warned of this:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1)

Paul explained in Ephesians 6:12 that the struggle that believers encounter which causes them to fall away from the faith is “not against flesh and blood” but “against the spiritual forces of wickedness,” these are the “deceitful spirits” and the origin of the “doctrines of demons.” John clearly stated in 1 John 4:6 that there are two groups that inhabit the world: those who know God listens and obeys His truth; and those who are not from God do not listen or obey God. Thus, once we understand this fact we will be able to distinguish the difference between divine truth and the error of deceit perpetrated by the evil one.

Believers should never lose sight of the fact that we live in this world—a world that hates us (3:13)—a world controlled by the evil one, Satan. We need to be extremely aware that all about us there are fellow human beings who are Satan’s underlings, who are determined at every opportunity to cause us to stumble and compromise our faith. The evil one desires nothing less than our downfall by intentionally distorting the distinction between truth and error with his deceptive doctrine.

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[1] Lenski, R.C.H. (2001). Commentary on the New Testament, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 11.539.

[2] Chafer, L.S., (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 2.77-78.

[3] Lenski, 11.539

 

© 2026 David M. Rossi 

 

JESUS STILLS THE RAGING STORM, PART 2

The narrative of the calming the sea by our Lord continues with His reprimanding of the disciples.

Luke 8:25: And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

After restoring calm to the sea and wind, Jesus admonished His disciples: “Where is your faith?” Only in Matthew 8:26 does our Lord reproach them prior to calming the storm: “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” The reason Our Lord questioned their faith is because they failed at the height of the storm to comprehend exactly who Jesus Christ was; proving their failure to fully understand the plan and program that God had for our Lord. What faith they lacked was not in His ability to save them, as if the elements were out of His control, but they were unable to think rationally and to apply the truth they knew to their situation. Instead they considered Jesus to be a “pawn of chance,”1 that His divine mission would fail and He along with themselves were to be victims of the storm—even though He had already expressed confidence upon reaching “the other side of the lake” (Luke 8:22).

However, this storm on the sea did lead the disciples to ask the right question: Who then is this?2 This shows “not only their amazement but also the slowness of their apprehension of the ‘Master’s’ true identity.”3 Yet, isn’t it incredible that they should be amazed and marvel at the demonstration of our Lord’s power? For after all, they had witnessed our Lord’s miraculous accomplishments of healing (Mark 1:40–42; 2:3–12; Luke 6:18–19) and raising the dead (Luke 7:12–15).

So why then are they now amazed? Little faith!

A Little Goes a Long Way

A little goes a long way is an old adage that asserts that only a small amount of something is needed to accomplish an objective. This may be true with salt and garlic in food preparation, but it is not so with the knowledge of biblical truth in the believers’ preparation for the practice of their faith.

Too many passages of Scripture maintain the fact that for believers to advance and function in their spiritual lives that they require an extensive knowledge of God’s Word. The apostle Paul reminds us that Scripture is designed to ensure that the advancing believer is “accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and of vital importance, “so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Also, it is the apostle Peter who urges his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Peter also advised:

Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. (1 Peter 2:2)

The milk of the word consists of the basic truths of salvation and is only the beginning phase in the instruction of our faith in Christ. The writer to the Hebrews explains:

 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13–14)

Summary

Is it possible to even consider that all of us would have acted differently than the disciples under the frightening circumstances that confronted them? Perhaps some of us may respond differently and correctly; however, more than likely not all of us.

We should evaluate the manner in which we react to the other “storms” of life that we encounter: the loss of health; the loss of loved ones; the stress of family; the pressure of the job. Are we solely relying on our doctor for our health? Are we depending on the pastor during personal loss? Do we seek to escape the family and the job to merely ease the pressures of life?

What can be reasonably concluded is that in the 21^st Century we will never be in a capsizing boat in the midst of a storm with the Lord Jesus Christ physically present. So before the storms of our life descend upon us, we need to consider some essential questions: where is our faith? and what is the content of our faith? For the content of our faith is critical for a Christian’s life to function productively. The apostle Paul explanation to the Colossians is pertinent for all believers today.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9–10)

It is imperative that we recognize Paul’s emphasis upon how spiritual wisdom, understanding and increasing in the knowledge of God are the essential aspects for the believers’ effective manner of living: to bear fruit of good works and to please Him (cf. 1 John 3:22; Hebrews 13:21).

If our faith to overcome the storms of life is placed in anyone other than Jesus Christ, we may be in a sinking ship. If the content of our faith lacks the absolute confidence of God’s promise: “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), then expect before long to be bailing out water.

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[1] Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House 8.216.

[2] Marshall, I. H. (1994). Luke. In, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (4th ed.) (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, Eds.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, p. 994.

[3] Liefeld, W. L. (1984). Luke. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House,  8.911.