1 John 4

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 4 of 5

1 Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

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

3 And every spirit which does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God; and this is the antichrist which you heard is coming, and now is already in the world.

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Chapter Summary

He warns them not to believe all teachers, who boast of the Spirit, but to try them.

Key Greek Words

ἀγάπη love G26
δοκιμάζω test, prove G1381
πνεῦμα spirit G4151
ὁμολογέω confess G3670
ἱλασμός propitiation G2434
φόβος fear G5401

Cross-References

People & Context

Jesus Christ

The Son of God who came in the flesh; sent by the Father as Savior and propitiation for sins.

God the Father

The source of love itself ('God is love') who sent His only begotten Son into the world.

The Antichrist

The spirit, already in the world, that refuses to confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

Timeline

Test the Spirits

Believers must test every spirit because many false prophets have gone into the world. The spirit confessing Jesus Christ come in the flesh is from God; the one that does not is the antichrist spirit already in the world.

1 John 4:1-3
Greater Is He That Is in You

Little children are of God and have overcome the false spirits because the One in them is greater than the one in the world. The false prophets are of the world; God's people hear the truth.

1 John 4:4-6
God Is Love

Love is from God, and the one who loves has been generated from God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love — revealed by sending His only begotten Son as propitiation for sins.

1 John 4:7-10

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