1 Beloved, don't believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit who doesn't confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. 4 You are of 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 of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn't listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God. 8 He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love. 9 By this God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
There are two principal subjects discussed in this chapter:
I. The method by which we may determine that we have the Spirit of God, 1-John 4:1-6. The apostle had said 1-John 3:24 that it could be determined that God dwells in them by the Spirit which he has given them; but as it is probable that the teachers of error, the persons whom John regarded as "antichrist," 1-John 2:18-19, would lay claim to the same thing, it was important to know how it could be ascertained that the Spirit of God had been really given to them, or how it could be determined that the spirit that was in them was not the spirit of antichrist, the very thing against which he would guard them. In doing this:
(1) He cautions them against trusting to every kind of spirit, or supposing that every spirit which animated even the professed friends of religion was the Spirit of God, 1-John 4:1.
(2) also, he shows them how it might be determined that they had really the Spirit of God, or what would be the effect of the influences of the Spirit on the mind. This evidence consisted of the following things:
(a) They had the Spirit of God who confessed that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, 1-John 4:2;
(b) They who denied that, had not the Spirit of God and the denial of this was the real spirit of antichrist, 1-John 4:3;
(c) They who had the Spirit of God had not the spirit of this world, 1-John 4:4-5; and,
(d) They who had the Spirit of God would hear those who were his apostles, or who were sent by him, 1-John 4:6.
II. The duty, power, and influence of love, 1-John 4:7-21. This is a favorite subject with John, and he here considers it at length, as a subject that was essential in determining the evidences of piety. The duty and value of love are enforced by the following considerations:
(1) Love has its origin in God, and everyone who has true love is born of God, 1-John 4:7-8.
(2) God has shown his great love to us by having given His Son to die for us; and as He has so loved us, we ought also to love one another, 1-John 4:9-11.
(3) if we love one another, it furnishes the best evidence that God dwells in us, 1-John 4:12-15.
(4) God is love, and if we have true love we dwell in Him, and He dwells in us, 1-John 4:16,
(5) Love will furnish us great advantage in the day of judgment, by giving us confidence when we come before Him, 1-John 4:17.
(6) love will cast out all fear, and will make our minds calm in view of the events which are to come, 1-John 4:18,
(7) The very fact that He has first manifested His love to us should lead us to the exercise of love, 1-John 4:19,
(8) A man cannot truly love God and yet hate his brother, 1-John 4:20; and,
(9) it is the solemn command of God that he who loves God should love his brother also.
We must not believe every teacher who professes to have a Divine commission to preach, but try such, whether they be of God; and the more so because many false prophets are gone out into the world, 1-John 4:1. Those who deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh have the spirit of antichrist, 1-John 4:2, 1-John 4:3. The followers of God have been enabled to discern and overcome them, 1-John 4:4-6. The necessity of love to God and one another shown, from God's love to us, 1-John 4:7-11. Though no man hath seen God, yet every genuine Christian knows him by the spirit which God has given him, 1-John 4:12, 1-John 4:13. The apostles testified that God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world; and God dwelt in those who confessed this truth, 1-John 4:14, 1-John 4:15. God is love, 1-John 4:16. The nature and properties of perfect love, 1-John 4:17, 1-John 4:18. We love him because he first loved us, 1-John 4:19. The wickedness of pretending to love God while we hate one another, 1-John 4:20, 1-John 4:21.
INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 4
In this chapter the apostle cautions against seducing spirits; advises to try them, and gives rules by which they may be known, and by which they are distinguished from others; and then returns to his favourite subject, brotherly love. He exhorts the saints not to believe every man that came with a doctrine to them, but to try them, since there were many false teachers in the world; and gives a rule by which they may be tried and judged, as that whatever teacher owns Christ to be come in the flesh is of God, but he that does not is not of God, but is the spirit of antichrist that should come, and was in the world, 1-John 4:1, but, for the comfort of those to whom he writes, he observes, that they were of God, and had overcome these false teachers, through the mighty power of the divine Spirit in them, who is greater than Satan, and all his emissaries, 1-John 4:4. He distinguishes between seducing spirits, and faithful ministers of the word; the former are of the world, speak of worldly things, and worldly men hear them; but the latter are of God, and they that have any spiritual knowledge of God hear them; but such as are not of God do not heal them, by which may he known the spirit of truth from the spirit of error, 1-John 4:5. And then the apostle returns to his former exhortation to brotherly love, which he enforces by the following reasons, because it is of God, a fruit of his Spirit and grace, and because it is an evidence of being born of God, and of having a true knowledge of him; whereas he that is destitute of it does not know him, seeing God is love, 1-John 4:7, and having affirmed that God is love, he proves it, by the mission of his Son, to be a propitiation for the sins of such that did not love him, and that they might live through him; wherefore he argues, that if God had such a love to men, so undeserving of it, then the saints ought to love one another, 1-John 4:9. Other arguments follow, engaging to it, as that God is invisible; and if he is to be loved, then certainly his people, who are visible; and that such who love one another, God dwells in them, and his love is perfected in them; and that he dwells in them is known by the gift of his Spirit to them, 1-John 4:12, and that God the Father so loved the world, as to send his Son to be the Saviour of it, before asserted, is confirmed by the apostles, who were eyewitnesses of it; who also declare, that whoever confesses the sonship of Christ, God dwells in him, and he in God; and who had an assurance of the love of God to them, who is love itself; so that he that dwells in God, and God in him, dwells in love, 1-John 4:14. And great are the advantages arising from hence, for hereby the saints' love to God is made perfect; they have boldness in the day of judgment, since as he is, so are they in this world, and fear is cast out by it, 1-John 4:17, but lest too much should be thought to be ascribed to love, that is said to be owing to the love of God to them, which is prior to theirs to him, and the reason of it, 1-John 4:19. And the chapter is closed with observing the contradiction there is between a profession of love to God, and hatred of the brethren, seeing God, who is invisible, cannot be loved, if brethren that are seen are hated; and also the commandment, that he that loves God should love his brother also, 1-John 4:20.
(1-John 4:1-6) Believers cautioned against giving heed to every one that pretends to the Spirit.
(1-John 4:7-21) Brotherly love enforced.
SUMMARY.--How to Distinguish the Spirits of Truth and Error. Love a Proof that We Are Born of God. God's Great Love for Us. How We Secure the Indwelling of God. How Love is Made Perfect.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.