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1 John 4

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Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

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Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

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And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

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Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

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They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

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We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

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Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

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He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

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In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

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Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

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Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

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No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

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Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

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And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

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Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

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And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

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Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

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There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

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We love him, because he first loved us.

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If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

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And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

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1 John 4:2

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

Study Summary

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (en sarki elēlythota) is from God — the confessional test is christological: recognition of Christ's incarnation. The flesh (sarx) represents the physical, historical reality. Docetic denial of embodiment marks false spirits.

Community Reflections

1
Sarah Okafor (test user)7h ago
Seeds of faith — 1 John 4

This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Faith isn't the absence of doubt — it's choosing to believe despite it.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth…

Read the note →

1 John 4:2

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

Study Summary

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (en sarki elēlythota) is from God — the confessional test is christological: recognition of Christ's incarnation. The flesh (sarx) represents the physical, historical reality. Docetic denial of embodiment marks false spirits.

Community Reflections

1
Sarah Okafor (test user)7h ago
Seeds of faith — 1 John 4

This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. Now I understand why — it's a daily declaration of dependence on God.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Faith isn't the absence of doubt — it's choosing to believe despite it.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth…

Read the note →

1 John 4:2

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (en sarki elēlythota) is from God — the confessional test is christological: recognition of Christ's incarnation. The flesh (sarx) represents the physical, historical reality. Docetic denial of embodiment marks false spirits.