John Calvin Commentary 1 John 4

He returns to his former doctrine, which he had touched upon in the second chapter, for many (as is usual with new things) abused the name of Christ to serve their own errors. Some made a superficial 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 do not keep to the right way, as shown to us by God.

But what the Apostle says consists of three parts:

1. He shows an evil dangerous to the faithful and, therefore, exhorts them to beware.

2. He prescribes how they were to beware: by making a distinction between the spirits.

3. He points out a particular error, the most dangerous to them, and therefore forbids them to hear those who denied that the Son of God appeared in the flesh.

We shall now consider each in order.

But though this reason is added in the passage—that many false prophets had gone out into the world—yet it is convenient to begin with it. The announcement contains a useful admonition, for if Satan had then already seduced many who under the name of Christ scattered their impostures, similar instances today ought not to terrify us.

For it is perpetually the case with the Gospel that Satan attempts to pollute and corrupt its purity by a variety of errors. Our own age has produced some horrible and monstrous sects, and for this reason many stand amazed. Not knowing where to turn, they cast aside all care for religion, for they find no more direct way of extricating themselves from the danger of errors.

In this, indeed, they act most foolishly, for by shunning the light of truth, they cast themselves into the darkness of errors. Let, therefore, this fact remain fixed in our minds: that from the time the Gospel began to be preached, false prophets immediately appeared. This fact will fortify us against such offenses.

The antiquity of errors keeps many, as it were, firmly bound, so that they dare not emerge from them. But John points out here all the internal evil that was then in the Church. Now, if impostors were then mixed with the Apostles and other faithful teachers, is it any wonder that the doctrine of the Gospel has long ago been suppressed, and that many corruptions have prevailed in the world? There is, then, no reason why antiquity should hinder us from exercising our liberty in distinguishing between truth and falsehood.

Believe not every spirit. When the Church is disturbed by discords and contentions, many, as has been said, being frightened, depart from the Gospel. But the Spirit prescribes to us a far different remedy: that the faithful should not receive any doctrine thoughtlessly and without discrimination. We ought, then, to take care that, being offended by the variety of opinions, we do not discard teachers and, along with them, the word of God. But this precaution is sufficient: that all are not to be heard indiscriminately.

The word spirit I take metonymically, as signifying one who boasts that he is endowed with the gift of the Spirit to perform his office as a prophet. For since it was not permitted for anyone to speak in his own name, nor was credit given to speakers except insofar as they were the organs of the Holy Spirit, God honored them with this name so that prophets might have more authority, as though he had separated them from mankind in general.

Those, then, were called spirits who, by giving only a language to the oracles of the Holy Spirit, in a manner represented him. They brought nothing of their own, nor did they come forth in their own name. The design of this honorable title was that God’s word should not lose the respect due to it through the humble condition of the minister, for God would have his word always be received from the mouth of man just as if he himself had appeared from heaven.

Here Satan interposed. Having sent false teachers to adulterate God’s word, he also gave them this name so that they might more easily deceive. Thus, false prophets have always been accustomed to superciliously and boldly claim for themselves whatever honor God had bestowed on his own servants. But the Apostle deliberately made use of this name, so that those who falsely claim God’s name would not deceive us by their masks, as we see today; for many are so dazzled by the mere name of a Church that they prefer, to their eternal ruin, to cling to the Pope rather than to deny him the least part of his authority.

We ought, therefore, to notice this concession, for the Apostle might have said that not every kind of person ought to be believed. But as false teachers claimed the Spirit, he allowed them to do so, while at the same time reminding them that their claim was frivolous and worthless unless they really demonstrated what they professed, and that those were foolish who, being astonished at the very sound of such an honorable name, dared not make any inquiry on the subject.

Try the spirits. Since all were not true prophets, the Apostle here declares that they ought to have been examined and tried. And he addresses not only the whole Church but also each of the faithful.

But it may be asked, where do we get this discernment? Those who answer that the word of God is the rule by which everything that men bring forward ought to be tried say something, but not the whole.

I grant that doctrines ought to be tested by God’s word. However, unless the Spirit of wisdom is present, having God’s word in our hands will be of little or no use, for its meaning will not appear to us. For instance, gold is tried by fire or touchstone, but this can only be done by those who understand the art, for neither the touchstone nor the fire can be of any use to the unskilled.

So that we may then be fit judges, we must necessarily be endowed with and directed by the Spirit of discernment. But since the Apostle would have commanded this in vain if no power of judging were supplied, we may with certainty conclude that the godly shall never be left destitute of the Spirit of wisdom regarding what is necessary, provided they ask for him from the Lord.

But the Spirit will only guide us to a right discrimination in this way: when we submit all our thoughts to God’s word. For it is, as has been said, like the touchstone; indeed, it ought to be considered most necessary for us, for only that doctrine which is drawn from it is true.

But here a difficult question arises: If everyone has the right and liberty to judge, can anything be established as certain, or will the whole of religion, on the contrary, be uncertain?

To this I answer that there is a twofold trial of doctrine: private and public. The private trial is that by which everyone settles his own faith, when he fully accepts that doctrine which he knows has come from God, for consciences will never find a safe and tranquil haven except in God.

Public trial refers to the common consent and order of the Church. For as there is danger that fanatics might rise up who may presumptuously boast that they are endowed with the Spirit of God, it is a necessary remedy that the faithful meet together and seek a way by which they may agree in a holy and godly manner. But as the old proverb is too true, “So many heads, so many opinions,” it is undoubtedly a unique work of God when he subdues our perversity and makes us think the same thing and agree in a holy unity of faith.

But what Papists under this pretense hold—that whatever has been decreed in councils is to be considered as certain oracles because the Church has once proved them to be from God—is extremely frivolous.

For though it is the ordinary way of seeking consent to gather a godly and holy council where controversies may be determined according to God’s word, yet God has never bound himself to the decrees of any council. Nor does it necessarily follow that as soon as a hundred bishops or more meet together in any place, they have duly called on God and inquired at his mouth what is true. In fact, nothing is clearer than that they have often departed from the pure word of God.

Therefore, in this case also, the trial that the Apostle prescribes ought to take place, so that the spirits may be proved.

By this, or by this, you know he lays down a special mark by which they might more easily distinguish between true and false prophets. Yet he only repeats here what we have met with before: that as Christ is the object at which faith aims, so he is the stone at which all heretics stumble. Therefore, as long as we abide in Christ, there is safety; but when we depart from him, faith is lost, and all truth is rendered void.

But let us consider what this confession includes. For when the Apostle says that Christ came, from this we conclude that he was with the Father before, by which his eternal divinity is proved.

By saying that he came in the flesh, he means that by putting on flesh, he became a real man, of the same nature with us, so that he might become our brother—except that he was free from every sin and corruption.

And lastly, by saying that he came, the cause of his coming must be noted, for he was not sent by the Father for nothing. Therefore, on this depend the office and merits of Christ.

Therefore, just as the ancient heretics departed from the faith—in one instance by denying the divine, and in another by denying the human nature of Christ—so do the Papists at this day. Though they confess Christ to be God and man, they by no means retain the confession which the Apostle requires, because they rob Christ of his own merit. For where free will, merits of works, fictitious modes of worship, satisfactions, and the advocacy of saints are set up, how very little remains for Christ!

The Apostle, therefore, meant this: that since the knowledge of Christ includes the sum and substance of the doctrine respecting true religion, our eyes ought to be directed to and fixed on him, so that we may not be deceived. And doubtless, Christ is the end of the law and the prophets; nor do we learn anything else from the gospel but his power and grace.

And this is that spirit of Antichrist. The Apostle added this to make the deceptions that lead us away from Christ more detestable. We have already said that the teaching concerning the kingdom of Antichrist was well known, so that the faithful had been warned about the future scattering of the Church, in order that they might exercise vigilance. Therefore, they justly dreaded the name as something vile and ominous. The Apostle now says that all those who depreciated Christ were members of that kingdom.

And he says that the spirit of antichrist would come, and that it was already in the world, but in a different sense. He means that it was already in the world because it secretly carried on its iniquity. However, since the truth of God had not yet been subverted by false and spurious dogmas, since superstition had not yet prevailed in corrupting the worship of God, since the world had not yet treacherously departed from Christ, and since tyranny, opposed to the kingdom of Christ, had not yet openly exalted itself, he therefore says that it would come.

You are of God. He had spoken of one antichrist; he now mentions many. But the many were the false prophets who had come forth before the head appeared. The Apostle’s object was to encourage the faithful, so that they might courageously and boldly resist impostors, for eagerness is weakened when the outcome of the contest is doubtful. Besides, it might have caused the good to fear when they saw that the kingdom of Christ had hardly been set up when enemies stood ready to suppress it. Though they must contend, yet he says that they had conquered, because they would have a successful outcome, as though he had said that they were already, though in the middle of the contest, beyond any danger, because they would surely be conquerors.

But this truth should be further extended, for whatever contests we may have with the world and the flesh, a certain victory will follow. Hard and fierce conflicts indeed await us, and some continually follow others; but as we fight by Christ’s power and are equipped with God’s weapons, even by fighting and striving, we become conquerors. Regarding the main subject of this passage, it is a great consolation that, whatever wiles Satan may use to assail us, we will stand through the power of God.

But we must observe the reason which is immediately added: because greater, or stronger, is he who is in you than he who is in the world. For such is our weakness that we give way before we engage with an enemy, because we are so immersed in ignorance that we are open to all kinds of fallacies, and Satan is wonderfully artful in deceiving.

If we were to hold out for one day, a doubt might still creep into our minds about what would happen tomorrow; we would thus be in a state of perpetual anxiety. Therefore, the Apostle reminds us that we become strong, not by our own power, but by that of God. He therefore concludes that we can no more be conquered than God himself, who has armed us with his own power until the end of the world. But in this whole spiritual warfare, this thought should dwell in our hearts: that it would be all over for us immediately if we were to fight in our own strength; but that since God repels our enemies while we are resting, victory is certain.

They are of the world. It is no small consolation that those who dare to assail God in us have only the world to aid and help them. And by 'the world,' the Apostle means that portion of which Satan is the prince. Another consolation is also added when he says that the world embraces through the false prophets what it acknowledges as its own. We see what a great propensity to vanity and falsehood there is in people. Therefore, false doctrines easily penetrate and spread far and wide. The Apostle intimates that there is no reason why we should be disturbed by this, for it is nothing new or unusual that the world, which is wholly fallacious, should readily listen to what is false.