1 John 4

1 John 4:1-3

Testing the Spirits

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus^a is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.

Command
- DO NOT BELIEVE EVERY SPIRITEvery-Spirit
- BUT
  - TEST the spiritsTo-Be-Tested
    - to see whether they are from God.
Why?
- FOR MANY FALSE PROPHETS
  - have gone out into the world.
BY THIS
- you will KNOW the Spirit of God:
  - EVERY spirit
    - that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God
AND
- EVERY spirit that does NOT confess Jesus (Christ has come in the flesh)
  - is NOT from God.
THIS
- is the spirit of antichristSpirit-of
  - which you have heard
    - is coming
  - and
    - which is already in the world at this time.

1 John 4:4-6

4 You, little children, are from God 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. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit^b of truth and the spirit of deception.

BELIEVERS
- ARE from God
- AND
  - HAVE overcome them (antichrists? or spirits?)
  - BECAUSE
    - greater is He who is in you
    - than he who is in the world (antichrists? spirits? satan?)
THEY (antichrists?)
- are of the world
THAT IS WHY
- they speak from the world’s perspective,
- AND
- the world listens to them.
BELIEVERS
- are from God.
WHOEVER
- knows God listens to us;
WHOEVER
- is NOT from God
  - does not listen to us.
THAT IS HOW WE KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
AND
THE SPIRIT OF DECEPTION.Spirit-of
- G4106 - planéG4106-plané
  - a wandering; fig: deceit, delusion, error, sin
  - deviant behavior; a departure from what God says is true; and error (deception) which results in wandering (roaming into sin)

1 John 4:7-8

Love Comes from God

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Command
- Let us love one anotherOne-Another
- BECAUSE
  - love comes from GodLove-Comes-From-Him
- EVERYONE
  - who loves HAS BEEN born of God
  - AND
  - KNOWS God.
WHOEVER
- does NOT love
  - does NOT know God,
BECAUSE
- God is love.

1 John 4:9-10

9 This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only^c Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10 And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice^d for our sins.

THIS IS HOW GOD’S LOVE WAS REVEALED:
- God sent His one and

1 John 4:11-14

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

IF
- God so loved us
  - we also ought to love one another
NO ONE
- has ever seen God;
BUT
- IF we love one another,
  - God remains in us,
- AND
  - His love is perfected in us
    - G5048 - teleioóG5048-teleioó
      - bring to an end, complete, perfect
      - a) as a course, a race, or the like: complete, finish
      - b) as of time or prediction: accomplish
      - c) make perfect; pass: perfected
      - to consummate, reaching the end-stage, i.e. working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (*conclusion)
      - illustrated with the unfolding of a telescope one stage at a time to function at full strength (capacity effectiveness).
BY THIS
- WE KNOW that we remain in Him
- AND
  - He in us:
    - He HAS GIVEN us of His Spirit.
AND
- we HAVE SEEN
AND
- testify that the Father
  - HAS SENT
    - His Son to be the Savior of the world.

1 John 4:15-17

15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.

IF
- ANYONE
  - confesses that
    - Jesus is the Son of God
  - God abides in him,
- AND
  - he is in God.
BELIEVERS
- HAVE
  - come to KNOW
  - AND
  - BELIEVE
    - the love that God has for us.
God IS love;
WHOEVER
- abides in love abides in God
AND
- God in him
IN THIS WAY
- love HAS BEEN perfected among us,
WHY?
- so that we may HAVE CONFIDENCE
  - on the day of judgment;
- FOR
  - IN THIS WORLD
    - WE ARE JUST LIKE HIM

1 John 4:18-19

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love^e because He first loved us.

There is NO fear in love
BUT
- perfect loves drives out fear,
  - G5046 - teleiosG5046-teleios
    - having reached its end, i.e. complete, by ext. perfect
    - a) complete in all its parts
    - b) full grown, of full age,
    - c) specially of the completeness of Christian character
  - G906 - ballóG906-balló
    - to throw, cast
    - a) cast, throw, rush
    - b) often, in the weaker sense: place, put, drop
BECAUSE
- fear involves punishment.
The one who fears
- HAS NOT been perfected in love.
We love
BECAUSE
- He first loved us.

1 John 4:20-21

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.

Footnotes:

3 a BYZ and TR that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
6 b Or spirit
9 c Or only begotten  or unique
10 d Or as a propitiation
19 e BYZ and TR We love Him

IF
- ANYONE
  - says, “I love God”
- BUT
  - hates his brother,
- he is a liar.
FOR
- ANYONE
  - who does not love his brother,
    - whom he has seen,
  - cannot love God,
    - whom he has not seen.
AND
- we have this commandment from Him:One-Another
WHOEVER
- loves God
  - MUST
    - love his brother as well.
BARNES’ NOTES ON THE BIBLE
- And this commandment have we from him - That is, the command to love a brother is as obligatory as that to love God. If one is obeyed, the other ought to be also; if a man feels that one is binding on him, he should feel that the other is also; and he can never have evidence that he is a true Christian, unless he manifests love to his brethren as well as love to God. See the notes at James 2:10.
- That he who loveth God love his brother also - See the notes at John 13:34-35. Compare John 15:12, John 15:17.

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1 John 4

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