1 John 4:1-21 Lesson 462

1 John 4:1-21
Lesson 462

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

True versus false teachers (4:1-6).
God is truth, God is love (4:7-21).

Heresies:

"Most of the eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry had died by the time John composed this letter. Some of the second-or third-generation Christians began to have doubts about what they had been taught about Jesus. Some Christians with a Greek background had a hard time believing that Jesus was human as well as divine, because in Platonic thought the spirit was all-important. The body was only a prison from which one desired to escape. Heresies developed from a uniting of this kind of Platonic thought and Christianity."

"A particularly widespread false teaching, later called Docetism (from a Greek word meaning "to seem"), held that Jesus was actually a spirit who only appeared to have a body. In reality he cast no shadow and left no footprints; he was God but not man. Another heretical teaching, related to Gnosticism (from a Greek word meaning "knowledge"), held that all physical matter was evil, the spirit was good, and only the intellectually enlightened could enjoy the benefits of religion.
Both groups found it hard to believe in a Savior who was fully human."

"John answers these false teachers as an eyewitness to Jesus' life on earth. He saw Jesus, talked with him, touched him-he knew that Jesus was more than a mere spirit. In the very first sentence of his letter, John establishes that Jesus had been alive before the world began and also that he lived as a man among men and women.  In other words, he was both divine and human."

"Through the centuries, many heretics have denied that Jesus was both God and man. In John's day people had trouble believing he was human; today more people have problems seeing him as God. But Jesus' divine-human nature is the pivotal issue of Christianity. Before you accept what religious teachers say about any topic, listen carefully to what they believe about Jesus. To deny either his divinity or his humanity is to consider him less than Christ, the Savior."

(From the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream Illinois; page 2523).

Study Tip:

When words or themes are repeated in the Bible, it is because God considers them essential.
Hover over these passages to fully grasp their meaning.

The First Epistle of John

The King James Bible

1 John 4:1-21
Beware of false prophets

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.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 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.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Margin notes:

"Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits." (4:1) - "Don't believe every teacher (who claims to speak for the Spirit of God), test them." Good advice reinforced from 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Why test teachers? Read Matthew 24:11. Anyone who contradicts the word of God is not of God.

"Many false prophets are gone out into the world." (4:1) - "There are many false teachers in the world."

"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God." (4:2) - "Here's how you know if they have the Spirit of God."

"Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." (4:2) - "Every teacher who says Jesus Christ was born as a man (John 1:14) is of God." Many in John's day did not believe Jesus was the Son of God born a man.

"Overcome them." (4:4) - "Overcome the false teachers."

"They are of the world." (4:5) - "The false teachers are of the world (not of God)."

"Beloved." (4:7) - Means chosen and highly esteemed.

"God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (4:9) - Jesus died to save sinners. John must have remembered Jesus' words from John 3:16 when he wrote this verse.

"Herein is love." (4:10) - "Here is love." God's profound love for mankind is the greatest love of all.

"Sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (4:10) - "Sent His son to be the atonement for our sins." John is reinforcing this vital message from verse 2:2.

"No man hath seen God at any time." (4:12) - John is repeating this from his Gospel (John 1:18).

"His love is perfected in us." (4:12) - "His (God's) love is made complete in us."

"Know we that we dwell in him, and he in us." (4:13) - "We know that we live in God, and He lives in us." Jesus confirmed this in John 14:20.

"He hath given us of his Spirit." (4:13) - Giving believers His spirit proves that Christians belong to God (Romans 8:16).

"The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." (4:14) - This is the founding principle of Christian faith. God sent his only begotten Son to be the world's Savior (John 3:17).

"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (4:15) - "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they live in God." This is an amplification of verse 4:14. Jesus is the Son of God who sacrificed Himself as an atonement for our sins. Believe this, and salvation is yours.

"We may have boldness in the day of judgment." (4:17) - While others will tremble, Christians will have nothing to fear on judgment day.

"There is no fear in love." (*4:18) - Read 2 Timothy 1:7.

"We love him, because he first loved us." (4:19) - God's love is the origin of all love.

New Living Translation

1 John 4:1-21
Discerning False Prophets

1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.

3 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.

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them.

6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Loving One Another

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

10 This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

19 We love each other because he loved us first.

20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Why do false teachers have an audience?

Let us know if you change your email address.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. False teachers gather an audience by saying what people want to hear. Most people don't want to be told they are sinners and must change. They want to hear a feel-good message that promises them rewards here on earth.

Application thought for the day:

Spend the next few days pondering the lessons in this
passage (God's truth and love) and how to apply them to your life.
Applying what you learn is the most challenging part of Bible study, but the most important.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2024 evolke

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