1 John 4:2–3

Context

First John does not name its author. Church tradition has attributed the letter to the apostle John, while some scholars regard it as the work of a community leader within the Johannine tradition. The recipients appear to have been a church unsettled by those who had left the community (1 John 2:19). After urging in 4:1, "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits," the author gives in verses 2–3 the criterion for doing so: whether one confesses "that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." Here "spirit" refers to the spirit that moves a person who prophesies or teaches. Verses 4–6 then contrast those who belong to God with those who belong to the world.

Interpretation

• Historical reading: Many commentators hold that the passage is directed against two teachings. One is Docetism, the view that Jesus only appeared to have taken on flesh; the other is a teaching that separates the human Jesus from the divine Christ. The anecdote about John and Cerinthus, reported by the second-century church father Irenaeus, is sometimes mentioned in connection with this background. Others, however, maintain that the letter's opponents cannot be identified with certainty as a single group.
• Doctrinal reading: The ancient church used this passage in support of confessing the Incarnation (the Son of God becoming human). Many Protestant denominations likewise teach it as a text that sets out a basic criterion of Christology (the doctrine of Christ).
• The antichrist: The author says that the "spirit of antichrist" is "even now already" in the world. On this basis, some interpreters understand the antichrist as false teachings and powers that arise in every age. Dispensationalism and similar views hold that, in addition to the spirit already at work, a specific individual will appear at the end of the age.

Debates and Issues

• Textual variants: In verse 3, the phrase "that confesseth not Jesus" appears in some Latin witnesses and patristic citations as "that dissolves (divides) Jesus." Some later Greek manuscripts also add "that Christ is come in the flesh" in verse 3, a reading followed by the King James Version (KJV) and other translations.
• Scope of the confession: Some ask whether a verbal confession alone is sufficient. Many interpreters hold that the passage should be read together with the practice of love that the same letter emphasizes (4:7 and following).
• Use of the passage: The passage is sometimes invoked to label Christians who hold differing views, or particular individuals, as "antichrist" outright. Critics argue that such use goes beyond the original criterion, namely the denial of the Incarnation.

In the Korean Church

The passage is among those cited as a standard for testing spirits in sermons and instruction on discerning heresy. It is also invoked in discussions of how to discern prophecy and spiritual experiences.

Related Passages

• 1 John 4:1
• 1 John 2:18–22
• 2 John 1:7
• John 1:14
• 1 Corinthians 12:3