1 John 4:1

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. BELOVED - the affectionate address wherewith he calls attention to an important subject. EVERY SPIRIT - in the person of a prophet. The Spirit of truth, and that of error, speak by men's spirits as their organs. There is but one Spirit of truth, and one of Antichrist. TRY - by the tests (1 John 4:2). All are to do so: not merely ecclesiastics. Even an angel's message should be tested by the Word of God; much more men's teachings, however holy the teachers seem (). BECAUSE ... - reason why we must test the spirits. MANY FALSE PROPHETS - no...

He returns to his former doctrine, which he had touched upon in the second chapter; for many (as it is usual in new things) abused the name of Christ for the purpose of serving their own errors. Some made a half profession of Christ; and when they obtained a place among his friends, they had more opportunity to injure his cause. Satan took occasion to disturb the Church, especially through Christ himself; for he is the stone of offense, against whom all necessarily stumble who keep not on the right way, as shewn to us by God. But what the Apostle says consists of three parts. He first shews an evil dangerous to the faithful; and therefore he exhorts them to beware. He _prescribes _how they were to beware, that is, by making a distinction between the spirits; and this is the second part. In the third place, he points out a particular error, the most dangerous to them, he therefore forbids...

1-6 Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures, may, in humble dependence on Divine teaching, discern those who set forth doctrines according to the apostles, and those who contradict them. The sum of revealed religion is in the doctrine concerning Christ, his person and office. The false teachers spake of the world according to its maxims and tastes, so as not to offend carnal men. The world approved them, they made rapid progress, and had many followers such as themselves; the world will love its own, and its own will love it. The true doctrine as to the Saviour's person, as leading men from the world to God, is a mark of the spirit of truth in opposition to the spirit of error. The more pure and holy any doctrine is, the more likely to be of God; nor can we by any other rules try the spirits whether they are of God or not. And what wonder is it, that people of a worldly s...

CHAPTER IV. _We must not believe every teacher who professes to have a_ _Divine commission to preach, but try such, whether they be of_ _God; and the more so because many false prophets are gone out_ _into the world_, 1. _Those who deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh have the_ _spirit of antichrist_, 2, 3. _The followers of God have been enabled to discern and overcome_ _them_, 4-6. _The necessity of love to God and one another shown, from God's_ _love to us_, 7-11. Though no

BELOVED, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT - Do not confide implicitly in everyone who professes to be under the influences of the Holy Spirit. Compare Matthew 24:4. The true and the false teachers of religion alike claimed to be under the influence of the Spirit of God, and it was of importance that all such pretensions should be examined. It was not to be admitted because anyone claimed to have been sent from God that therefore he was sent. Every such claim should be subjected to the proper proof before it was conceded. All pretensions to divine inspiration, or to being authorised teachers of religion, were to be examined by the proper tests, because there were many false and delusive teachers who set up such claims in the world. BUT TRY THE SPIRITS WHETHER THEY ARE OF GOD - There were those in the early Christian church who

EXPOSITION 1 JOHN 4:1 - 1 JOHN 5:12 (2) _The source of son-ship. _Possession of the Spirit. 1 JOHN 4:1 Confession of the Incarnation is the assurance that the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of truth, is working in us, and not the spirit of error. The passage seems clearly to teach that there are two rival influences contending for power over the spirits of men. We must test men's spirits to see whether they are organs of the Spirit of truth or of the spirit of error. 1 JOHN 4:1 BELOVED (as in...

BELOVED, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT,.... The apostle having mentioned the word "spirit" in the latter part of the preceding chapter, takes an occasion from thence to return to what he had been suggesting in the "second" chapter, concerning the many antichrists that then were, and whom he points out, and here cautions against. By "every spirit" he means, either every doctrine that is pretended to come from the Spirit of God, or every teacher, who professes to be qualified and sent by him, and to have his light, knowledge, and doctrine from him. Every true minister of the Gospel has the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, more or less, to qualify him for his work; he is separated, and called to it by him, and receives his spiritual light find knowledge from him; it is he that teaches him sound doctrine, and leads him into all truth, as it is in Jesus, and brings every necessary truth to his...

1 John 4:1. _Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world._ If John had need to say that in the early morning of Christianity, I am sure we ought to say it with greater emphasis today. It is certainly true in these days that «many false prophets are gone out into the world,» therefore we also must «try the spirits whether they are of God.» 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:_ If the doctrine of the incarnation of God in Christ is denied, as it was by the first heretics, we may conclude that the Spirit of God is not in such teaching. Any doctrine which dishonours Christ,-whether in his person, or his

V. HEREBY WE KNOW Chapter S 3:19-5:13 _ 1. Hereby we know that we are of the truth (1 John 3:19)_ 2. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God (1 John 4:1) 3. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and of error (1 John 4:5) 4. The Love manifested toward us (1 John 4:7) 5. The final tests as to the possession of eternal life (1 John 4:20; 1 John 5:1) 1 John 3:19 .

A digression. The reference to the Spirit (1 John 3:24) reminds John that some who claimed to possess the Spirit of God, _e.g._ the false prophets, did so unjustifiably. Hence his readers must have a token whereby they may discriminate between true prophets and false. That token was the nature of their testimony concerning Christ. Thus the Spirit of truth or of Christ could be distinguished from that of error or Antichrist. 1 JOHN 4:1. PROVE THE SPIRITS: the primitive Church, as we learn from 1 Corinthians 12-14 *, was rich in activities and experiences attributed to the operation of the Holy Spirit. At the same time evil spirits were believed to exist and to take possession of human beings, producing phenomena outwardly akin to those due to the Spirit of God. Hence some mode of distinguishing the two op