1Jo 4:2-3 | KingComments | STEP | . In the last verse of the previous chapter John has already highlighted the fact that you have the Holy Spirit ( ). There he mentions Him as an emphasis of the assurance that God abides in you. In the section you now have before you he will contrast the work of God’s Spirit with the work of the spirit of the antichrist. You can discern what comes from God’s Spirit and what comes from the spirit of the antichrist by asking for the confession of Jesus Christ. That is the first touchstone. There is another touchstone in this section. That is the question about whom the audience is for the message of a person who presents himself as a teacher ( ). There is mention of a company of listeners that consists of those who are from God and a company of those who are from the world. Those who are from God, listen to the apostles; those who are from the world, listen to the spirit of the antichrist. John starts with addressing you as ‘beloved’. That is a wonderful starting point for the old apostle. It expresses his care for you. Out of that care he wants to warn you not to accept all kinds of nice talks about God and His Son as if those words automatically come from God. You may think that it is alright as soon as you hear someone talk about God and Jesus. That is certainly not alright. You ought to test the spirits and you ought to know from which source they speak. There are examples in the Bible which show that sometimes unbelievers have prophesied through the Spirit of God, such as Balaam ( ). What he then said (Numbers 23-24) came from the good source. When he counseled the people against the Word of God to commit harlotry, he spoke from an evil source ( ). It is not said that you should test people to know whether they are believers or if they hold the right doctrine, but it is about testing spirits. It is not about an orthodox confession, but about the question from which source people speak. Is the source the Holy Spirit or is it a demonic spirit? That is the question here. It is about unmasking people who present themselves as prophets and claim to come up with a message from God, while in reality they bring lie and therefore speak through a demonic spirit. It is about spirits that imitate the work of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of islam, for example, is clearly a demonic spirit and not an imitation spirit. The case with the false prophets who went out, is different. They imitate the Spirit of God, behind which of course a demonic spirit is hidden. That they “have gone out”, indicates an activity. Activity always impress people. What also is impressive, is that they are with many. You may have an idea about that kind of influence. If many people claim something, it impresses more than if an individual says it. . The touchstone is the way people think about the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit only reveals what serves to the glorification of the Lord Jesus and He does that with joy. Satan and his angels are doing the reverse. They talk nicely, but there is nothing that glorifies Him. On the contrary, they seek to dishonor Him. It is not only about historical salvation facts, but also about facts related with the Person of Christ. He is to be confessed as the Word that truly became flesh ( ). He has not put on the form of blood and flesh temporarily. That He “has come in the flesh” means that He became Man. The fact that He is Man means that from the moment He became that it was indissolubly connected to His Person. He truly became Man and He will be that forever. If He would not be Man anymore now, then that means that He had never been truly Man. That He “has come in the flesh”, implies by definition that He has always existed as God. A person can only come in the flesh when He has a preexistence as God. He has eternally existed as the eternal Son. The confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is therefore also a confession of the eternal Godhead of the Lord Jesus. . When you talk about the Lord Jesus with someone and no clear confession about Him comes out of his mouth, then it is not right. Such a person is not from God, that is, he is not born of God ( ). Not being able to make this confession means that such a person has not been born again. Someone who is born of God and therefore has new life, loves the Lord Jesus. That will also be noticeable. Saying that you love Him without showing anything of it, is telling a lie. It is about the confession of ‘Jesus’. Where you meet new life, there will be no need for an extensive explanation of Him. Family members immediately recognize one another. The spirit of the antichrist does not confess Jesus as having come in the flesh. It is not only about what this spirit says, but also about the coming and performing of this spirit ( ). It is someone who does not confess Jesus and also does not consider God in any other way. The antichrist is the man in whom sin is present in its fullness. The antichrist as a person is still to come, but his spirit is now already in the world. That spirit is not from God, but comes from satan. . What should you do if you notice that you are dealing with such a spirit? You do not have to do anything. You may know something and that is that you have overcome that spirit. You have not overcome him by winning a discussion. You should not even start a discussion, for then you will be defeated. Eve went into a conversation with the devil and she was the loser. You do not need to know and rebuke all arguments of the adversaries. You should simply stick to what you have been taught from the beginning, which is to the truth that was announced to you by the apostles. You are born of God and you may see yourself in the position of overcomer because you have the Holy Spirit in you through faith in the Name of the Son of God. So you don’t need to ask who is greater, the Spirit Who is in you or the spirit who is in the world. Therefore you should not let yourself be impressed by the parade of spirits who try to fool you by saying that you are a follower of a pitiable faith and that they can tell you about higher forms of truth. Hold on to the faith that you have heard from the beginning. Then you behave as an overcomer and the enemy gives way ( ). . The followers and proclaimers of the false doctrine “are from the world”. That’s their origin and there they are at home. Everything that comes from them is what they are and where they belong. That finds connection with all who belong to the world and not with believers. The world is under the power of satan and he rules it. From that evil system, he sends his demons to spread their pernicious teachings. What they bring perfectly connects with the people who belong to the world. These people listen to them because they speak the same language as the people of the world. . You do not belong to the world anymore. That’s why you do not listen to them. Because you know God you listen to the apostles, for they “are from God”. It is about a radical contrast, the contrast between truth and error. There is no connection between those two. Therefore there is also no connection between those who are of God and those who are not of God. The unbeliever doesn’t understand anything from what you as a child of God receive with love. He doesn’t listen to it. You can also apply the words “listens to us” in a broader sense than to the apostles alone. You may apply them to all who proclaim the Word of God. Then it is about the word of the apostles, in other words the inspired Word of God. Then you’ll love to listen to teachers who explain God’s Word to you and edify you in your faith. They do not point to themselves and they also do not try to win you for their ideas, but they point to Christ. If you hear them, it will find connection in your heart, because the Spirit dwells in there. That will only happen if the words that you hear are in accordance with the Scripture. Thereby it doesn’t matter by whom they are spoken, whether it is a well-known preacher or a totally unknown believer. The touch stone is God’s Word, the written Word. If that is spoken under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you listen to it. Now read 1 John 4:1-6 again. Reflection: How do you know from what spirit something comes?

‏ 1 John 4:2-3

God’s Spirit and the Spirit of the Antichrist

1Jn 4:1. In the last verse of the previous chapter John has already highlighted the fact that you have the Holy Spirit (1Jn 3:24). There he mentions Him as an emphasis of the assurance that God abides in you. In the section you now have before you he will contrast the work of God’s Spirit with the work of the spirit of the antichrist.

You can discern what comes from God’s Spirit and what comes from the spirit of the antichrist by asking for the confession of Jesus Christ. That is the first touchstone. There is another touchstone in this section. That is the question about whom the audience is for the message of a person who presents himself as a teacher (1Jn 4:6). There is mention of a company of listeners that consists of those who are from God and a company of those who are from the world. Those who are from God, listen to the apostles; those who are from the world, listen to the spirit of the antichrist.

John starts with addressing you as ‘beloved’. That is a wonderful starting point for the old apostle. It expresses his care for you. Out of that care he wants to warn you not to accept all kinds of nice talks about God and His Son as if those words automatically come from God. You may think that it is alright as soon as you hear someone talk about God and Jesus. That is certainly not alright. You ought to test the spirits and you ought to know from which source they speak.

There are examples in the Bible which show that sometimes unbelievers have prophesied through the Spirit of God, such as Balaam (Num 24:2). What he then said (Numbers 23-24) came from the good source. When he counseled the people against the Word of God to commit harlotry, he spoke from an evil source (Num 25:1 ; Num 31:16).

It is not said that you should test people to know whether they are believers or if they hold the right doctrine, but it is about testing spirits. It is not about an orthodox confession, but about the question from which source people speak. Is the source the Holy Spirit or is it a demonic spirit? That is the question here. It is about unmasking people who present themselves as prophets and claim to come up with a message from God, while in reality they bring lie and therefore speak through a demonic spirit.

It is about spirits that imitate the work of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of islam, for example, is clearly a demonic spirit and not an imitation spirit. The case with the false prophets who went out, is different. They imitate the Spirit of God, behind which of course a demonic spirit is hidden. That they “have gone out”, indicates an activity. Activity always impress people. What also is impressive, is that they are with many. You may have an idea about that kind of influence. If many people claim something, it impresses more than if an individual says it.

1Jn 4:2. The touchstone is the way people think about the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit only reveals what serves to the glorification of the Lord Jesus and He does that with joy. Satan and his angels are doing the reverse. They talk nicely, but there is nothing that glorifies Him. On the contrary, they seek to dishonor Him. It is not only about historical salvation facts, but also about facts related with the Person of Christ. He is to be confessed as the Word that truly became flesh (Jn 1:14).

He has not put on the form of blood and flesh temporarily. That He “has come in the flesh” means that He became Man. The fact that He is Man means that from the moment He became that it was indissolubly connected to His Person. He truly became Man and He will be that forever. If He would not be Man anymore now, then that means that He had never been truly Man.

That He “has come in the flesh”, implies by definition that He has always existed as God. A person can only come in the flesh when He has a preexistence as God. He has eternally existed as the eternal Son. The confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, is therefore also a confession of the eternal Godhead of the Lord Jesus.

1Jn 4:3. When you talk about the Lord Jesus with someone and no clear confession about Him comes out of his mouth, then it is not right. Such a person is not from God, that is, he is not born of God (1Jn 3:9-10). Not being able to make this confession means that such a person has not been born again.

Someone who is born of God and therefore has new life, loves the Lord Jesus. That will also be noticeable. Saying that you love Him without showing anything of it, is telling a lie. It is about the confession of ‘Jesus’. Where you meet new life, there will be no need for an extensive explanation of Him. Family members immediately recognize one another.

The spirit of the antichrist does not confess Jesus as having come in the flesh. It is not only about what this spirit says, but also about the coming and performing of this spirit (2Thes 2:3). It is someone who does not confess Jesus and also does not consider God in any other way. The antichrist is the man in whom sin is present in its fullness. The antichrist as a person is still to come, but his spirit is now already in the world. That spirit is not from God, but comes from satan.

1Jn 4:4. What should you do if you notice that you are dealing with such a spirit? You do not have to do anything. You may know something and that is that you have overcome that spirit. You have not overcome him by winning a discussion. You should not even start a discussion, for then you will be defeated. Eve went into a conversation with the devil and she was the loser. You do not need to know and rebuke all arguments of the adversaries. You should simply stick to what you have been taught from the beginning, which is to the truth that was announced to you by the apostles.

You are born of God and you may see yourself in the position of overcomer because you have the Holy Spirit in you through faith in the Name of the Son of God. So you don’t need to ask who is greater, the Spirit Who is in you or the spirit who is in the world. Therefore you should not let yourself be impressed by the parade of spirits who try to fool you by saying that you are a follower of a pitiable faith and that they can tell you about higher forms of truth. Hold on to the faith that you have heard from the beginning. Then you behave as an overcomer and the enemy gives way (1Jn 5:4).

1Jn 4:5. The followers and proclaimers of the false doctrine “are from the world”. That’s their origin and there they are at home. Everything that comes from them is what they are and where they belong. That finds connection with all who belong to the world and not with believers. The world is under the power of satan and he rules it. From that evil system, he sends his demons to spread their pernicious teachings. What they bring perfectly connects with the people who belong to the world. These people listen to them because they speak the same language as the people of the world.

1Jn 4:6. You do not belong to the world anymore. That’s why you do not listen to them. Because you know God you listen to the apostles, for they “are from God”. It is about a radical contrast, the contrast between truth and error. There is no connection between those two. Therefore there is also no connection between those who are of God and those who are not of God. The unbeliever doesn’t understand anything from what you as a child of God receive with love. He doesn’t listen to it.

You can also apply the words “listens to us” in a broader sense than to the apostles alone. You may apply them to all who proclaim the Word of God. Then it is about the word of the apostles, in other words the inspired Word of God. Then you’ll love to listen to teachers who explain God’s Word to you and edify you in your faith. They do not point to themselves and they also do not try to win you for their ideas, but they point to Christ. If you hear them, it will find connection in your heart, because the Spirit dwells in there.

That will only happen if the words that you hear are in accordance with the Scripture. Thereby it doesn’t matter by whom they are spoken, whether it is a well-known preacher or a totally unknown believer. The touch stone is God’s Word, the written Word. If that is spoken under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you listen to it.

Now read 1 John 4:1-6 again.

Reflection: How do you know from what spirit something comes?