1 John 4:1-6

¹ “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Verse 1: John warns believers to exercise discernment when it comes to spiritual teachings and influences. In the New Covenant, we are called to test the spirits and evaluate any message or teaching against the truth of God’s gospel. We are not to blindly accept every spiritual claim or follow every popular trend, but rather, we are to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed in Scripture. This would have had special relevance to John’s audience who needed to test the spirits of the Gnostic teachers and reject their theological nonsense.

Verse 2: John emphasizes the importance of recognizing the Spirit of God by acknowledging the truth of Jesus Christ coming in the flesh. Those spirits who do not recognize the incarnation, the Gnostic teachers, were not from God. The Gnostics taught that human flesh was evil. Therefore the Son of God could not have come in the flesh.

Verse 3: John warns that any spirit or teaching that denies or rejects the truth of Jesus is not from God. Jesus is the only way to salvation and reconciliation with God. Any teaching that undermines or contradicts this truth is considered to be influenced by the spirit of the antichrist. As believers, we are called to stand firm in the truth of Jesus and reject any false teachings that seek to distort or diminish His significance.

Verse 4: John reassures believers that they are from God and have the power to overcome false teachings and influences. We have been united with Christ and have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit within us is greater than any opposing spirit in the world. We can have confidence in our identity as children of God and rely on His strength to discern and overcome any false teachings or deceptive influences.

Verse 5: The world is inherently opposed to the gospel. The Gnostics are described as being of the world because of their rejection of true Christianity. They are compatible with the world whereas believers are compatible with God.

Verse 6: John emphasizes that the apostles are from God and their message can be trusted as a result. All who believe the gospel are compatible with God. The Gnostics, however, reject the physicality of Jesus and by doing stand opposed to the church and the apostles.