1 John 4:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

NIV: This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

NASB: By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

CSB: This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

NLT: This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.

KJV: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

NKJV: By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

The first way to determine whether a teacher is from God or not is given here. If a person confesses Jesus is the Christ, and that He came fully human into the world, this is a sign the teacher's spirit is godly. The context of this statement is important, however. This is not meant to be the one and only way Christians are to gauge spiritual teachings. A major concern for John's readers were those who denied that Jesus was fully human. Throughout history, there have been other false teachers who have accepted the humanity of Christ, yet deny other important aspects of the gospel.

First Corinthians chapter 15 gives another example of a false teaching which needs to be discarded: rejecting Christ's literal, bodily resurrection. John's statement here is true, but it is not presented as the only test for spiritual truth. There are additional concerns discerning believers must address in dealing with whether someone is a false prophet. Some of those other tests are included in verses 3 through 6.

First John 4:1–6 warns Christians not to blindly accept all spiritual claims. There are many false teachers in the world. It's important to carefully consider both the source and the content of a teaching before we accept it. John gives several tests, though his comments are not meant to cover all possible concerns. Those who deny Christ, His humanity, or who reject the basics of the gospel, cannot be trusted.

Chapter 4 warns Christians not to accept every claim they hear. Instead, believers are to compare what they hear to the basic truths of the gospel. John then returns to the theme of love, explaining how believers ought to live out the presence of God's love in their lives. In addition, living according to God's love takes away our fear of judgment. In no uncertain terms, those who claim to love God, but hate others, are liars.

First John chapter 4 emphasizes the way God's love removes the natural human fear of rejection. Fear is a punishment of its own, and those who do not believe have reason to fear judgment. Believers, on the other hand, have confidence. Not only has Christ forgiven our sins, but He gives us God's love. Following in this love leads to acceptance, which leads to confidence, driving out fear. This passage is the key section of John's letter, explaining how confidence in the life of a believer ought to be accomplished.

First John seems to assume that the reader is familiar with the gospel. Rather than re-state these facts, John is concerned with building confidence in Christian believers. At the same time, his words encourage believers to examine their own lives for signs of their relationship with Christ. This letter also challenges false teachers and their incorrect claims about Jesus. Many themes are shared with the Gospel of John.

Accessed 5/5/2024 10:20:53 AM