1 John 4:3 kjv
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.
1 John 4:3 nkjv
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
1 John 4:3 niv
but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
1 John 4:3 esv
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
1 John 4:3 nlt
But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
1 John 4 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 John 4:2 | "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;" | Clarifies the confession |
| 1 John 4:1 | "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God..." | Sets the context of testing |
| 2 John 1:7 | "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist." | Echoes the heresy |
| John 1:14 | "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." | Affirms incarnation |
| Matthew 16:16 | "Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”" | Confession of Christ |
| Acts 4:12 | "And there is no salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”" | Jesus' unique identity |
| 1 Timothy 3:16 | "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory." | Mystery of godliness |
| Colossians 1:15-17 | "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created..." | Christ's divinity |
| Hebrews 2:14 | "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil." | Jesus in the flesh for redemption |
| Philippians 2:5-8 | "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." | Humiliation of Christ |
| 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 | "Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but that which is natural, and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven." | Adam vs. Christ |
| 1 John 2:22 | "Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son." | Denying Christ's identity |
| 1 John 2:18 | "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. From this we know that it is the last hour." | Appearance of antichrists |
| Jude 1:4 | "For certain people have crept in unnoticed…people who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." | Denying Christ's authority |
| Revelation 13:4-5 | "And they worshiped the dragon that gave its authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months." | Blasphemy of Christ |
| John 5:23 | "that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." | Honoring the Son |
| Acts 17:31 | "because he has fixed a day on which he will give sentence on the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed. To this, he has given proof to all men by raising him from the dead.”" | Jesus as Judge |
| 1 Peter 3:18 | "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit." | Christ's suffering and resurrection |
| Romans 1:3-4 | "concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." | Jesus as Son of God |
| 1 Corinthians 8:6 | "yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." | One God, One Lord |
1 John 4 verses
1 John 4 3 Meaning
This verse highlights a crucial test for discerning the spirits. It states that any spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This confession is a distinguishing mark of antichrist spirits, signifying a denial of Jesus' incarnation.
1 John 4 3 Context
Chapter 4 of 1 John begins with an exhortation to "test the spirits" (v. 1). John acknowledges that false prophets have gone out into the world. This context is crucial, as the entire chapter is dedicated to equipping believers to discern between true and false teachings. The heresy being addressed likely relates to proto-Gnostic ideas or Cerinthianism, which denied the full humanity and divine nature of Jesus, particularly his physical existence. Such beliefs undermined the foundation of Christian salvation, which hinges on the incarnation and atoning work of Christ in the flesh.
1 John 4 3 Word Analysis
- Πᾶν πνεῦμα (Pan pneuma): "Every spirit." This phrase emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the test; it applies to all purported spiritual manifestations or claims. "Pneuma" can refer to a human spirit, a demon, or the Holy Spirit.
- ὁμολογεῖ (homologei): "confesses" or "acknowledges." This verb implies more than mere intellectual assent; it suggests an open and verbal declaration, aligning one's life with the truth.
- Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν (Iēsoun Christon): "Jesus Christ." This is the name and title of the divine Son of God who came to earth.
- ἐν σαρκί ἐληλυθότα (en sarki elēlythota): "having come in the flesh." This is the pivotal phrase. "En sarki" means "in flesh," and "elēlythota" is the perfect participle of "elthō" (to come). The perfect tense indicates a completed action with ongoing results, emphasizing that Jesus’ incarnation was a definitive event with eternal significance.
- The phrase directly counters beliefs that denied Christ's physical reality or suggested that he only appeared to have a body (Docetism), or that the divine Christ was separate from the human Jesus (Cerinthianism).
- λύεται (luetai): "is loosed," "is dissolved," "is not confessed." In this context, it means that a spirit does not acknowledge Jesus' coming in the flesh, thus "loosening" or dissolving the essential truth of his incarnation. This highlights a rejection or denial of this foundational doctrine.
- αὐτό ἐστιν (auto estin): "it is" or "this is."
- τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου (tou antichristou): "of the antichrist." This refers to the spirit or person who opposes Christ. John states that this specific denial is the mark of an antichrist spirit, one of many active in his day and indicative of a larger opposition to Christ.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh": This entire phrase encapsulates the positive confession required. It points to a full affirmation of the historical Jesus, who was truly God and truly man, the incarnate Word.
- "is not of God": This is the negative consequence of the denial. It establishes a clear binary: either a spirit aligns with God by affirming Christ's incarnation, or it opposes God by denying it.
- "but this is the spirit of the antichrist": This identifies the nature of the deceptive spirit. The emphasis is on the origin and character of the teaching – it is fundamentally anti-Christ, aiming to undermine belief in the true Christ.
1 John 4 3 Bonus Section
The concept of "coming in the flesh" (ἐν σαρκί ἐληλυθότα - en sarki elēlythota) is foundational to the entire Christian doctrine of salvation. It implies Jesus' humanity, His participation in the human condition, and His genuine suffering and death for humanity. The rejection of this truth is a recurring theme in early Christian writings and continues to manifest in various forms throughout church history, often seen in denials of Christ's deity, His humanity, or His sinless life. The historical context also reveals a fierce battle against heresies that sought to obscure the identity of Jesus Christ. John’s purpose here is not just theological accuracy but the spiritual protection of believers against doctrines that, while potentially sounding spiritual, ultimately lead away from the saving truth of Jesus Christ.
1 John 4 3 Commentary
John provides a straightforward test for doctrinal authenticity. The crucial point of verification is the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ's incarnation – His true humanity combined with His divine identity. This wasn't a minor detail; it was the bedrock of the Christian faith. If a teaching denied that Jesus, the Son of God, truly experienced human life in a physical body, then it was not from God but from an opposing spirit. This concept serves as a safeguard against Gnostic or Cerinthian teachings that separated the divine Christ from the human Jesus, thereby invalidating Christ’s sacrificial work in the flesh. It’s about the totality of who Jesus is: fully God, who became fully man.