1 John 4

Testing the spirits

Dearly loved ones, 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. This is that spirit of antichrist, about which you have heard that it would come. And even now it is already in the world.

4:2-3 See 1 John 2:22.⚜

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world, so they speak of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us, but he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

4:1-6 In these verses John gives two tests which enable us to know whether people are following God’s truth or not. Verses 2,3 gives the first one, v 6 the second.⚜

4:6 Here is a very important test.⚜

Love described

7 Dearly loved ones, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.

A person without love does not know God

8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

How God showed His love

9 In this the love of God was revealed toward us: God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Love is seen in this: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

4:9-10 John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4-5. God is the source of divine love, not man. We would never know what divine love is if God did not show us. We would never love Him if He had not loved us and given His love in our hearts (v 19).⚜

We should love as God loved

11 Dearly loved ones, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

4:11 Believers ought to love one another because of what God is and what they are.⚜

12 No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is made perfect in us.

God’s Spirit gives us God’s love

13 By this we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

4:14 See 1 John 1:1-2.⚜

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.

4:16 We know God’s love not merely because He says He loves us, but because He proved His love in the most wonderful way possible (v 9; 1 John 3:16). Since God has given us absolutely convincing proof of His love we must never doubt that He loves us. No matter what difficulties, troubles or suffering come to us, or to those we love, we can count on God’s love. It will never fail, never leave us (Ps 23:6; Rom 8:35-39; 1 Cor 13:8).⚜

Love gives confidence, removes fear

17 Our love is made perfect in this: That we can have boldness in the day of judgment, because in this world we are just as he is. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear is linked with torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

4:18 Do thoughts of the day of judgment bring fear to our hearts? Then we are not loving as we should.⚜

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

4:19 Verse 10. God has shown us what real love is, and through His love has made us His children and put His love in us. Compare Rom 5:5.⚜

Loving others is the proof we love God

20 If a man says, “I love God”, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

4:20 See 1 John 2:9; 3:14-15. People may imagine they can love God without loving other people, but this is quite impossible. If we love God it is only because God has put this love in us, and this divine love in us will cause us to love people just as surely as we love God. Real love for God and for people cannot be separated.⚜

21 And we have this command from him: He who loves God must love his brother also.

4:7-21 These verses reveal what love is. The words love, loves, and loved, noun and verb, appear 24 times in these verses. John’s point is this: God is love and has proved His love toward us in action, therefore we must love and prove our love toward others in action (1 John 3:18).⚜

4:21 What is a spiritual necessity, God commands us to put in practice. He is speaking of love shown in action (1 John 3:16-18).⚜