1Jo 4 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1John 4:1-6: 4:1-6 Those who belong to God (4:4 ) can distinguish spiritual truth from error, because the Spirit’s presence (3:23-24 ) teaches them (see 2:20 , 27 ; John 14:15-26 ; 16:5-15 ). Yet John provides concrete tests for the believers to apply so that there will be no confusion. These tests are a starting point for true teachers, not an exhaustive set; they were designed to address the false teachings that were being promoted in the churches of John’s readers. 4:1 everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit (literally every spirit ): The teachers who left John’s churches claimed to be prophets , but the true prophet is an instrument for the Holy Spirit’s messages (Acts 4:25 ; 1 Tim 4:1 ; Rev 19:10 ). Every speaker should be tested against what the Holy Spirit has said through the apostles (1 Jn 4:2-3 , 6 ).

Summary for 1John 4:1-6: 4:1-6 ^a Those who belong to God (4:4 ^b) can distinguish spiritual truth from error, because the Spirit’s presence (3:23-24 ^c) teaches them (see 2:20 ^d, 27 ^e; John 14:15-26 ^f; 16:5-15 ^g). Yet John provides concrete tests for the believers to apply so that there will be no confusion. These tests are a starting point for true teachers, not an exhaustive set; they were designed to address the false teachings that were being promoted in the churches of John’s readers. 4:1 ^h everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit (literally every spirit): The teachers who left John’s churches claimed to be prophets, but the true prophet is an instrument for the Holy Spirit’s messages (Acts 4:25 ⁱ; 1 Tim 4:1 ^j; Rev 19:10 ^k). Every speaker should be tested against what the Holy Spirit has said through the apostles (1 Jn 4:2-3 ^l, 6 ^m).
4:2 ⁿ If a person claiming to be a prophet: John outlines a doctrinal test for prophets and teachers. Those who have the Spirit of God confess that Jesus Christ came in a real body. In other words, they must affirm the reality that Jesus is both fully man and fully God. Prophets and teachers who deny these basic teachings are antichrists (2:18 ^o). Certain false teachers in John’s day (the Docetists) taught that Jesus Christ only seemed to have a human body but did not really have one. They thereby denied that God became flesh; see 1:1-3 ^p; John 1:14 ^q).
4:5 ^r The world’s viewpoint is one of systematic evil, opposed to God (2:15-17 ^s).
4:6 ^t John tests the reality of a person’s Christianity by whether they listen to and agree with the teachings of the apostles.

• The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit (John 14:17 ^u, 26 ^v; 15:26 ^w; 16:13-15 ^x), who teaches the truth about Christ (1 Jn 2:20 ^y, 27 ^z).

• False prophets have the spirit of deception, the spirit of antichrist, which leads people away from Christ (see study note on 2:22). Therefore, union with the historic body of Christ and the consensus of teaching that began with the apostles is a sign of fidelity to Christ’s work in the world.
Summary for 1John 4:7-21: 4:7-21 ^aa John explains the source of a Christian’s love and its outworking.
4:8 ^ab God is love, the source and embodiment of all love. This concept and the concept that “God is light” (1:5 ^ac) form the foundation on which John writes this letter.
Summary for 1John 4:9-10: 4:9-10 ^ad Jesus Christ, sent from God the Father, embodied and demonstrated God’s love in his life on earth and in his sacrificial death on the cross as an atoning sacrifice.
Summary for 1John 4:11-12: 4:11-12 ^ae Those who have received God’s love cannot help but spontaneously love those who have done the same. As this love flows through us to each other, it becomes evident that we love God.
4:15 ^af Those who believe in Christ have God living in them, and they live in God. The Father and the Son experience this fellowship (John 10:38 ^ag; 14:10 ^ah; 17:21 ^ai). Experiencing God in this way is a special privilege for believers (see John 14:20 ^aj; 15:5 ^ak; 17:21-24 ^al).
4:17 ^am our love grows more perfect: The Greek word translated grows more perfect does not mean flawless, but mature and complete. We mature as our relationship with God grows, and God’s love makes our love complete.

• Experiencing and expressing God’s love and doing what it requires does not make us acceptable to God, but it does give us the assurance that we have been accepted, and our fears of the final judgment melt away.
4:18 ^an perfect love expels all fear: As we live with Christ and grow more mature and complete in God’s love, we have confidence in facing the day of judgment, which will be terrifying for those who don’t know God (Acts 24:25 ^ao; Rom 2:16 ^ap).

• Based on consciousness of guilt, fear anticipates a deserved punishment, producing dread that is itself a foretaste of that punishment. Christ died to set us free from this dread (Heb 2:14-15 ^aq).
4:19 ^ar God loved us first, while we were sinners, not only after we gave sin up (Rom 8:5-11 ^as). God started the process; when he loved us he enabled us to respond to him in love and to extend that love to others.