1 John 4
Big idea: The Spirit named in 3:24 raises a question: which spirits are from God? John gives the christological test — every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God; every one that denies it is the spirit of antichrist. Then the letter reaches its theological summit: God is love. Love originates in God, is defined by the sending of his Son as the atoning sacrifice, and obligates us to love one another; as we do, the unseen God abides in us and his love is perfected. Perfected love produces boldness for judgment and casts out fear, and it is inseparable from loving the brother one can see.
The spirit-test (4:1–6) extends the antichrist warning of 2:18–27 and the belief test. 'God is love' (4:8, 16) parallels 'God is light' (1:5), completing the two summary declarations. The love-defined-by-the-cross theme fulfills 3:16, and 'love the brother you have seen' (4:20) drives directly into chapter 5's linkage of faith and love.
4:1–6 — Test the spirits
Do not believe every spirit, but test them, since many false prophets have gone out. The test is christological: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; every one that does not is the spirit of antichrist, already in the world. But the readers are of God and have overcome them, because he who is in them is greater than he who is in the world. The two groups are distinguished by who listens: the world hears its own; those who know God hear the apostolic witness — the spirit of truth versus the spirit of error.
1 Beloved, don’t 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 who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. 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. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
4:7–12 — God is love
Love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows him; the loveless does not know God, for God is love. God's love was shown in sending his only Son so we might live through him — and this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. So if God loved us like that, we ought to love one another. Though no one has ever seen God, when we love, he abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. 9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
4:13–16 — Abiding in love and in God
We know we abide in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit. The apostles have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son as the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God — God abides in him and he in God. And we have come to know and believe the love God has for us: God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
4:17–21 — Perfect love casts out fear
Love is perfected among us so that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as Christ is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear, since fear has to do with punishment, and the fearful one is not perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. And the claim to love God while hating a brother is a lie — for one who does not love the brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. The command stands: whoever loves God must love his brother too.
17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).