First John Chapter 4:1-5
“It is important to observe that the command to believe on the name of God's Son Jesus Christ (3:23) is followed by a prohibition, believe not every spirit, much as the commandment to love (2:7-8) was followed by the prohibition, ‘love not the world’(2:15). Neither Christian faith nor Christian love is indiscriminate. In particular, Christian faith is not to be mistaken for credulity. True faith examines its object before reposing confidence in it” (Stott p. 152). 1John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world” “Beloved”: This expression will occur three times in this chapter (4:1,7,11). We sometimes forget that serious teaching, admonition or rebuke can be more effective when accompanied by tender affection for those being warned. The truth can be taught effectively and ineffectively. Someone said that in hearing two different speakers talk about the subject of hell and teach the same truth, one speaker made it sound like he was glad I was going there, and the other sounded like it broke his heart that I was headed in that direction. “Believe not every Spirit”: “Stop believing” (Robertson p. 229). “Unbelief can be as much a mark of spiritual maturity as belief” (Stott p. 153). There are things in which the Christian must not believe. The Christian cannot be gullible (Mark 4:24 “Take care what you listen to”; Acts 17:11; 1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Tim. 6:3). True spirituality isn't believing every religious idea or theory. “Every Spirit”: Possibly those teaching the following false doctrine claimed to be inspired of God. “Refrain from believing every teacher who claims to be from God” (Woods p. 287). Behind every teacher there is a "spirit", i.e. the source of their teaching is either God (either direct revelation, or subject matter found in His written revelation), or the devil. Every teacher either preaches the truth or he is preaching error. Observe that preaching some truth doesn't make up for the error that one preaches. 1
The Gnostics taught some truth. “But prove”: “To test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing be genuine or not), as metals” (Thayer p. 154). “Put them to the acid test of truth as the metallurgist does his metals” (Robertson p. 229). “Whether they are of God”: The purpose for such a test. “Of God”: From whence does the teaching originate? Is it truth (i.e. from God), or it is a lie (from the devil) (John 8:44). The purpose of testing teachers is not to try to "stump" or embarrass them, but rather to see if what they are saying is the truth (Acts 17:11). In testing the spirits, we need to make sure that our hearts are honest and our motives pure. An objective test for trying teachers and their doctrines must exist. This objective test could be accomplished by either: (a) The spiritual gift of discerning spirits (1 Cor. 12:10). (b) By comparing what a teacher is saying to what God has said in His word (Acts 17:11). “Trying the spirits” (KJV), doesn't mean that you try the particular doctrine someone is teaching to see if you like it or it if fits your personality, lifestyle, personal likes and dislike. God didn't give different gospels (Galatians 1:6-9) for different personalities. “Because”: The reason why we need to be discriminating in what we believe and who receives our listening attention. “Many”: And not just a few. The denominational world and the unity in diversity mind set would argue that really only a very, very small percentage of the religious world that professes to be Christian is in error. In fact, about the only people that such groups refuse to fellowship are those who are trying to practice 1 John 4:1. Jesus and others also taught that false teachers would abound (Matthew 24:11,24; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3). “False prophets are gone out into the world”; 2 John 7. “Prophets”: Which seems to indicate that these false teachers were making the claim that God was guiding them, that is, they were speaking by inspiration. Even during the days of Jeremiah, the false teachers were saying, “Thus saith the Lord” (23:17). “Gone out”: This may suggest that these false prophets were at one time members of the church (2:19). This expression can also mean to “display themselves publicly”, that being they refuse to keep their false doctrines as mere private views. We must be careful what we allow ourselves to believe. For private views eventually manifest themselves in a public way. It is almost impossible to keep hidden what is in our hearts (Mark 7:20-23), convictions in the heart will be expressed by the 2
mouth or the life (Proverbs 4:23). False doctrine must be opposed, because it is always "missionary" in nature, that is, false teachers will always seek to spread their teachings. We cannot leave false doctrine alone, because it will not leave us, our brethren, our children and the lost people in the world alone. 1John 4:2 “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” “Hereby know ye”: “By this” (NASV). Here is an objective test to determine whether someone is teaching the truth. This is not the only test, for false doctrine also exists on other topics besides the nature of Jesus (Galatians 2:1-4; 5:1-4), yet this is the error they were facing. “The Spirit of God”: The man teaching under the influence of the Spirit, or the man accurately proclaiming what the Spirit has revealed. The teacher who is in harmony with what the Spirit has taught. “Every Spirit”: God is no respecter of persons. “That confesseth”: “Declare publicly, acknowledge” (Arndt p. 568). “That Jesus is come in the flesh”: John 1:14. “Implying the coming of Jesus Christ from God; the pre-existence of Jesus Christ before the incarnation is presupposed” (Marshall p. 205). “Is of God”: As previously noted, “numerous false doctrines regarding the nature of Christ were then being propagated. Some of these questioned His deity; others, His humanity. These men denied the humanity of Jesus by alleging that He only appeared to have a body of flesh but, in reality, did not” (Woods pp. 288-289). Let it once again be stressed that the Divine Christ and the Human Jesus were one and the same person. 1John 4:3 “and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the {spirit} of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already” “Every Spirit”: The positive truth of 4:2 is now put in negative terms. Carefully note that often God will place a truth in both negative and positive terms to make sure that anyone can understand what is being said. We must always remember that the content of what one says is more important that all the other considerations, including their educational attainments, personality, looks, style, and human endorsements. “Confesseth not Jesus”: John did not have to add, “confesseth not that Jesus came in the flesh”, for that is inferred from 4:2. Perverting simply one aspect or teaching about Jesus is to believe in a false Jesus. A mere human Jesus doesn't save anyone. Those who make Jesus into a created being do not confess 3
Jesus. Those who make Jesus into a mere good man, a mere religious teacher, a mere prophet, also do not confess Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). “Is not of God”: “The fact that they teach much that is true does not justify their claim of being of the Lord; the error which they teach and the opposition which they exhibit establish their true spirit” (Woods p. 290). “This is the Spirit of the AntiChrist”: Thus anyone who stands opposed to the truth concerning the nature of Jesus, is "antichrist". Macknight wrote, “It appears that Antichrist is not any particular person, nor any particular succession of persons in the church, but a general name for all false teachers in every age” (p. 88). The phrase, “spirit of the antichrist”, implies that “antichrist” is an attitude, an attitude of opposition to the truth concerning Jesus. An attitude which seeks to make Jesus less than what the bible says of Him, whether it is stripping Him of His humanity or deity. “Ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already”: 1John 2:18. That is, manifesting itself in the false doctrine mentioned in 4:2 and 4:3. “Now it is in the world”: Thus the antichrist isn't something that is solely apart of the time before the end. “John now turns from a consideration of the teachers and their message to an examination of the audience which listens to them” (Stott p. 157). 1John 4:4 “Ye are of God, {my} little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” “Ye are of God”: John makes a clear distinction between those who believe and practice the truth and those who don't. There is no neutral position between truth and error. Actually a position of neutrality is already within the realm of false doctrine (Matthew 12:30). “Have overcome”: To prevail against. “Them”: They had resisted the error taught by the false teachers. “Overcome is translated from a perfect verb, thus indicating that John's readers had earlier reached a decision regarding the nature of these teachers and had rejected them; and an abiding conviction of the matter yet remained with them. They had overcome the false teachers by refusing to listen to their false doctrines, and by repudiating that which these teachers sought to impose upon them” (Woods p. 291) This whole context again proves: (a) False doctrine can be detected by the average member. “The apostles Paul and John assumed that even the humblest Christian 4
possessed ‘the right of private judgment’ and both could and should apply the objective test John is about to give in the next verse” (Stott p. 153). (b) There has never been a false doctrine that the faithful Christian couldn't detect with the Word of God and a love for the truth. (c) There are some things that Christians must refuse to believe. “Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”: Those who side with God, and have God's word influencing them, and know the truth, have an upper hand over those being influenced by the devil, because those on God's side have the truth, the 'power of God', the word that is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Truth is stronger than error (Romans 1:16). And truth will always expose what is error (Hebrews 5:14). The strength given the Christian to overcome false doctrine isn't something mysterious. Rather, anyone who has a love for God and His truth, can overcome error (1 John 2:14). “False belief is as much a sin as unrighteous behavior or lack of love” (Marshall p. 208). “Lest the faithful should be discouraged by the success which false teachers oftentimes have in spreading their errors, the apostle observes that their success arises generally from their accommodating their doctrines to the prejudices and evil inclinations of the world. Wherefore, from the prevalence of any doctrine, no argument can be drawn in favor of its truth” (Macknight p. 88). Remember Luke 6:26. 1John 4:5 “They are of the world: therefore speak they {as} of the world, and the world heareth them” “They”: The false teachers. “Are of the world”: “These men belong to the world” (Beck). “Therefore speak as of the world”: “And so their language is that of the world” (Wey). “The material they say being worldly” (Alford p. 1738). “And the world hearth them”: “Pays attention to what they say” (Phi). Other passages point out that error is often popular because the message being preached is exactly what worldly (self-centered) people want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4; Jeremiah 6:16). Such verses demonstrate that merely attracting large audiences isn't a great accomplishment. “It likes its own ideas and thoughts. Their teaching accords with the nature of the world, and it need not be a surprise when such doctrines find audience in the world” (Roberts p. 109). “To guard the saints against any disappointment they might experience in observing that the preaching of these men was attended with success, more success, perhaps, 5
than that which followed the preaching of the true gospel. John pointed out that the popularity of their preaching was due to the fact that it was suited to the desires and inclinations of the world. Such is equally true today” (Woods p. 292). Compare with John 15:19; 3:19-21. 1John 4:6 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” “He that knoweth God heareth us”: Present active, the one who keeps on getting acquainted with God, growing in his knowledge of God, ‘hears us’” (Robertson p. 231). “One who keeps on knowing God', i.e. an individual ever increasing in the knowledge of the one and only true God. Such a one knowing God, recognizes God's truth when it is preached. One may determine his spiritual level by measuring the degree of interest which he feels in the preaching of the gospel” (Woods pp. 292-293). John only sees two groups. Those who will listen to the truth and those who will not. One either has a honest heart (Luke 8:14), or one has a less than honest heart. One either loves the truth or they love something more than the truth. You cannot separate God from His Word and you cannot separate love of God or the thirst for knowledge of God from His Word. “There is a certain affinity between God's Word and God's people. Jesus had taught that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:4,5,8,16,26,27), that everyone who is of the truth listens to His witness to the truth (John 18:37), and that "he who is of God hears the words of God" (John 8:47) (Stott p. 158). “Those who do not listen to apostolic teaching, but prefer to absorb the teaching of the world, not only pass judgment on themselves but thereby also on the message to which they do give attention” (Stott p. 158). “He who is not of God heareth us not”: That is, they demonstrate they are not on God’s side when they reject the teaching of the apostles (1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Thess. 3:14; 2:15). “By this”: By the attitude people manifest toward the preaching of the truth. “This is now we recognize” (Mof). “We know”: Every Christian can use this test. We don't have to 'guess' about who is on the side of truth and who is on the side of error. We don't have to guess who is our brother. “The spirit of truth, and the spirit of error”: “The disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one” (Thayer p. 523). “It appears, that the ‘spirit of 6
truth’ is a disposition favorable toward the truth, as the ‘spirit of error’ is a disposition friendly to error. In view of the fact that the word ‘spirit’ in the text of the ASV is spelled with a small letter ‘s’” (Woods p. 293). “The universal test for determining a man's spirit (disposition) is, his reaction to the examination of his practices and beliefs, in the light of the revelation of God's Spirit” (Plain Talk 13/4/5).
7