1 John 3:24 – 4:6 (NKJV) Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
1 Beloved, do not 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 that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
V24 “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” Keeps His commandments is to obey His commandments. Jesus is the example (John 8:55). The Greek word for “keep” is (G5083) τηρέω tēreō, which means to keep an eye, watch closely. It is applied to guards over prisoners, obeying law, pay attention, etc. Actions speak louder than words. If we aim, desire, and strive with God’s grace to obey the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), then it causes confidence that we are truly a believer and God dwells in us (2 Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 3:17).
V1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” People enquire their “spirit guide” (actually a demon). This was common in the Roman-Greek cultures. We are warned not to believe the message from such sources. If there is a message of guidance, warning, blessing, wisdom, etc. from a spirit source, let us be very careful. They need to be tested. This is needed to examine the spiritual messages of the false prophets in the first century up to our own. To recognize false messages, we must be knowledgeable of the true message–the Bible which is the ultimate source of 100% truth. We hear the words, now we must compare what we hear to what we read in the Bible. This is discernment.
V2 “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God…” The words that we hear must match what we read in the Bible in its plain, normal sense, for those words are true. True Christology (the doctrine about Christ) is a major test of orthodoxy. The authentic Jesus has a written record from 3 eye-witnesses (Matthew, Mark (Peter), and John plus one historian who interviewed eye-witnesses (Luke). ZerrCBC adds: “Nobody denied that a person lived on earth by the name of Jesus Christ, but some denied that He was divine in a body of flesh. That was equivalent to saying that He was not the divine Son of God. That would also mean that Christ had no authority or saving virtue. It was generally known that a person was predicted to come into the world to fulfill the law and the prophets, and to effect a plan of salvation on the merits of His blood. But it was denied by some that the person known as Jesus Christ was the expected one. Hence if a man acknowledged the divinity of Christ it was evidence that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul teaches this also in 1Co 12:3 where he says, “No man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” or Spirit.”
V3 “…and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” False Christology indicates a false teacher. The masquerading Jesus is not the authentic Jesus. Compare 2 Corinthians 11:14. The false teacher may speak of Jesus in lofty respectful words, but if the doctrine does not match the Bible, it is a fake Jesus, the anti-Christ Jesus. Such a teacher will lead us away from truth. See Acts 17:11.
V4 “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” “Them” refers to the false teachers having the spirit of antiChrist. Overcome means that the believers recognized the false teachers’ attempts to lead them astray. Reason? The reason is they are believers, have been taught the truth, have read and studied the truth, lived the truth, and thus, recognize error. 100% truth is found only in the Bible. If we have understanding (knowing the why’s and how’s of a Bible verse/s), then we will see through their guise (Proverbs 28:11). We gain discernment from prayer, Bible study to know and understand, and God’s Spirit.
V5 “They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” They are of the world means they have no God-given eternal life; they are not believers in the true Jesus. The world likes the fake Jesus. He is tolerant of nearly everything, loves everybody regardless of their life, and lets most if not all into heaven. Don’t believe it, go to a funeral. Most speak of the deceased as being in heaven. Instead of the words of Christian’s lifestyle, worldview, and Bible, these false teachers speak words to appease the nonChristian.
V6 “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” We are of God, that is, we are Apostles who lived with, heard, observed, His life. True Christians listen and believe the words/writings of the true Apostles (the Bible), namely the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. This refers to the Bible which are the words of the Apostles and prophets. Knowing the authentic Jesus and His life (the Gospels) helps us discern.
We learn:
- To beware of false teachers
- How to recognize them
- How to reject their teachings