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By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
Verse Takeaways
1
The Litmus Test of Truth
Commentators agree that John provides a crucial test to distinguish true teaching from false: does the teacher confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? This directly countered early heresies, like Docetism, which claimed Jesus only appeared to be human. Scholars stress that affirming the real, physical humanity of Jesus is a non-negotiable foundation of Christian truth, essential for understanding the atonement.
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Book Overview
1 John
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11
18th Century
Presbyterian
By this. Greek, "By this;" that is, by the test which is immediately specified. Know ye the Spirit of God. You may discern who ar…
Hereby know ye (εν τουτω γινωσκετε). Either present active indicative or imperative. The test of "the Spirit of God" (το πνευμα το…
19th Century
Anglican
NOT ALL SPIRITS ARE THE RESULT OF THE SONSHIP: NECESSITY OF EXAMINING THEM (1 John 4:1–6).
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Baptist
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
When the Godhead a…
The test itself appears to hinge on the words “that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” The false prophets may well have believed that Christ was …
16th Century
Protestant
By this, or by this, you know he lays down a special mark by which they might more easily distinguish between true and f…
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
Hereby know you the Spirit of God This is a rule by which believers may know whether a man professing to have the Sp…
Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures may, in humble dependence on Divine teaching, discern those who set forth doctrines accordin…
