I John

Joyce Webb 2019

Chapter 4 Verses 1-8

Verse1 John writes to the believers. He calls them “beloved”.

He tells them, Do not believe every spirit. Try or test the spirits to see if they are of God.

There are many false prophets in the world.

(In other words, there are men who teach and preach, and tell things about the future—-but these men are not speaking by the Holy Spirit. He are saying things from their own thinking.

So when someone tells that something will happen in the future—you should watch and see what happens. If they tell you to do something to get ready for it—-make sure the things you do are with careful thinking.

Do not go out and do some big change to your life. Maybe do some smaller things —–in case what they say —really happens.

But I would not sell my house, or quit my job or things like that.

But you might get extra food in the house, or some emergency things, or save some extra money in a safe place.

I would watch and see things happening around me or on the news.

If a preacher teaches things that do not sound right to you—then check the Bible and see what the Bible says. Listen carefully to other things the preacher says.

Also, find out how the preacher lives. Does he live a holy clean life as a Christian should? Is he doing things that Christians should not do? Does he live like a rich king from offerings?

Do not believe every thing that is preached or told in prophecy.

If you are sure about that person and they have proved that what they say is true and their prophecies always happen, then you can trust them.)

Verse 2 This will let you know if someone has the spirit of God, if they believe and preach that Jesus Christ came in the flesh and is of God.

(Some church make Jesus to be more like a high angel. Some religions say Jesus was a good man. Some will say that he was a prophet, but not God.

John is saying—they must believe that Jesus is the Messiah that God promised would come—Christ is another name for Messiah.

John is saying—they must believe that Jesus is of God. Not that he is just from heaven or from God, but that he is of God. The word “of” means “a part” or belonging to.

The Jewish people—most of them—did not and still today do not–believe that Jesus is God.

John is saying for a person to be a true Christian—they must believe that Jesus came in the flesh as a man, and that he was and is God.

Verse 3 John says if a person does not confess and say that these things are true about Jesus then that person has the spirit of anti-Christ. Anti-means against. So a person who does not believe those things is against Christ.

Verse 4. John tells them that they are of God. They have overcome wrong teaching, they have overcome evil.

The reason they have been able to overcome evil was because

“greater is Spirit of God in you —- than the evil spirit in the world.”

Verse 5 Those who preach and teach that Jesus is not God, or that he did not come in the flesh, talk like people of this world. The people of this world listen to them and like them because they like that kind of teaching. (They do not want to believe that Jesus is God.)

Verse 6 We are of God. The person who knows God—hears us and believes what we teach.

The person who is not of God, will not listen to us or believe what we teach.

This is how we know those who have the spirit of truth in them and those who do not.

Verse 7 John tells them, to love each other. Love is of God. Everyone who loves others is born of God, and knows God.

Verse 8 The person who does not love, does not know God.

God is love.