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1 John 4:3
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1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but atest the spirits, whether they are of God; because bmany false prophets have gone out into the world.  
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: aEvery spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,  
3 and every spirit that does not confess1 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 ahe who is in the world.  
5 aThey are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and bthe world hears them.  
6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. aBy this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.  

Knowing God Through Love

7 aBeloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who bloves is born of God and knows God.  
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< 1 John 4:2   1 John 4:4 >>

What Does 1 John 4:3 Mean?



1 John 4:1-5

Their message appeals to human nature, not to divine nature. The divine nature will recognize it for what it is and reject it! But human nature accepts it. To human nature—to the carnality within us—it looks logical and right, like something we can apply and use as a part of our personality and character.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Wisdom of Men and Faith

Related Topics: Divine Nature | Human Nature | Human Nature, Perversity of | Human Reason | Test all Things | Test the Spirits | Testing All Things | Testing the Spirits



1 John 4:2-3

The end of the first century witnessed many heretical teachings. One of these heresies, Gnosticism, taught that Jesus Christ was not really a flesh-and-blood human being but a spirit that was manifested as a human being. This was undoubtedly one of the things John was alluding to when he wrote these verses.

However, there is also a deeper meaning to these words that John was inspired to write. The Holy Spirit inspired John to use the Greek perfect participle for the words "has come" in the above verses. The perfect tense implies not only the historical fact of Jesus Christ having been born as a flesh-and-blood human being but also the present continuance of this fact. John is saying that Jesus Christ is still human in the sense that He is living His life over again in human beings who submit to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The message of this scripture is simply this: A teacher is of God if he teaches that Jesus Christ is coming—living His life over again in the flesh of every true, regenerated Christian—and that a Christian must follow Him wherever He leads and emulate Him in every way. But a teacher who teaches that one does not have to follow Christ and that it is not necessary for Christ to live in the flesh of His disciples is not of God. John says that this false teaching stems from the spirit of antichrist (verse 3).

Earl L. Henn
Was Jesus Christ Born Under the Law?

Related Topics: Antichrist | Gnosticism | Humanity of Christ | Jesus Christ as a Flesh -and -Blood Human




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing 1 John 4:3:

1 Corinthians 10:13
Jude 1:15-19


 
<< 1 John 4:2   1 John 4:4 >>

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