1 John 4:1-3
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).
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