Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does 1st John Chapter 4 mean?

Chapter 4 includes two major ideas. The first is that believers ought to “test the spirits” to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1–6). The second theme is that God both loves us and “God is love” (1 John 4:7–21), leading believers to love one another.

First John 4 begins with the command to test spiritual claims, since not all teachers are true to the faith. Christians are never instructed to believe “just because.” In fact, we are often warned to carefully consider before we trust any particular message (Acts 17:11; Colossians 2:8–10). John was concerned that false prophets and false teachings would deceive his readers. First John 4:2 gives the test for spirits which actually come from God. These are those that acknowledge Jesus Christ’s real incarnation.

John adds that believers overcome the powers in this world because of God’s Spirit within them (1 John 4:4). “The world” refers to godless humanity. A worldly attitude listens to unbelievers and ungodly spirits, and ignores God.

The second major section returns to the idea that “God is love.” John teaches that biblical love is a sign of being born of God, and knowing God. He states emphatically that believers are to show their love for God by loving one another (1 John 4:7–12). Love not only demonstrates God’s presence in our lives, it serves as evidence to the rest of the world. Love is how the world is meant to “see” God, even though they cannot do so physically.

Verses 13 through 21 can be summarized by the final verse. Anyone who claims to love God must prove it by loving his brother. John’s teaching repeatedly emphasizes the fact that a person cannot claim to love God yet hate others. As chapter 3 made clear, hate is always from a demonic source. Those who hate are not “abiding” in Christ. Believers are children of God and brothers and sisters of one another. As family, they are to love one another according to the commandment of God.

Verse 18 offers an important perspective on the relationship between love and fear. Namely, that godly love and worldly dread are incompatible. God’s perfect love drives out fear of being accepted by Him. Other places in Scripture speak of “fearing” God in the sense of awe, respect, or trembling before Him. Here, however, John’s focus is on anxiety over whether or not God will truly love and forgive us. Believers who follow God’s example of love have no reason to fear that God will not accept them. His perfect love removes the need of this fear. God is love, shows perfect love, and places love in the hearts of those who believe.

Chapter Context
First John chapter 4 emphasizes the way God’s love removes the natural human fear of rejection. Fear is a punishment of its own, and those who do not believe have reason to fear judgment. Believers, on the other hand, have confidence. Not only has Christ forgiven our sins, but He gives us God’s love. Following in this love leads to acceptance, which leads to confidence, driving out fear. This passage is the key section of John’s letter, explaining how confidence in the life of a believer ought to be accomplished.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Chapter 4 includes two major sections. The first briefly instructs believers to examine spiritual claims, since not every teacher is loyal to the truth. Verse 1 explains what we are to do: test. It also explains why: the presence of false teachers. Verses 2 through 6 address how we are to test, in order to determine whether the spirits are from God. The use of the term “spirit,” in this case, is not a reference to ghosts, demons, or other creatures. Rather, this is a reference to the attitude and approach of a particular teacher. In reality, truth only comes from the Holy Spirit, everything else comes from evil. There is no such thing as a “friendly ghost,” as pop culture often suggests.

The reason for John’s warning is given next. Believers will face false prophets, because there are quite a few in the world. If this was a problem when John wrote his letter many centuries ago, it’s even more of an issue today. Therefore, it is important to have a way to test which teachers and leaders are from God. Verses 2 through 6 give details related to the difference between true and false teachers.

Context Summary
First John 4:1–6 warns Christians not to blindly accept all spiritual claims. There are many false teachers in the world. It’s important to carefully consider both the source and the content of a teaching before we accept it. John gives several tests, though his comments are not meant to cover all possible concerns. Those who deny Christ, His humanity, or who reject the basics of the gospel, cannot be trusted.

Verse 2. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

The first way to determine whether a teacher is from God or not is given here. If a person confesses Jesus is the Christ, and that He came fully human into the world, this is a sign the teacher’s spirit is godly. The context of this statement is important, however. This is not meant to be the one and only way Christians are to gauge spiritual teachings. A major concern for John’s readers were those who denied that Jesus was fully human. Throughout history, there have been other false teachers who have accepted the humanity of Christ, yet deny other important aspects of the gospel.

First Corinthians chapter 15 gives another example of a false teaching which needs to be discarded: rejecting Christ’s literal, bodily resurrection. John’s statement here is true, but it is not presented as the only test for spiritual truth. There are additional concerns discerning believers must address in dealing with whether someone is a false prophet. Some of those other tests are included in verses 3 through 6.

Verse 3. and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

A second test John gives is related to confessing Christ as Lord. If a person confesses Jesus as Lord, he or she has publicly professed becoming a Christian (Romans 10:9). If a person refuses to confess Jesus is the Christ, that person cannot be a true believer. This also reflects back to verse 2 and the necessity to “confess” that Jesus has come in the flesh.

John has harsh words for false teachers who do not confess Christ in these ways. He refers to this spirit as that of “antichrist.” This is different from the world ruler described in the end times. John specifically notes that this is a spirit—and attitude—which was already working in the world of his readers.

The spirit of antichrist is a false teaching. This teaching promotes a phony godliness which exists apart from the biblical Jesus (2 Timothy 3:5). John also mentioned the antichrist previously in 1 John 2:18 and 1 John 2:22. In 2 John 1:7, he also writes, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Those who reject the humanity of Jesus are considered against Christ or antichrist.

Verse 4. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

After speaking about false teachers in verses 1 through 3, John offers reassurance. He refers to his readers as “little children,” using the same Greek phrasing he did in 1 John 2:12. He then offers three words of comfort concerning their lives.

First, John encourages them, “you are from God.” In other words, John saw them as true believers in whom God lived.

Second, he adds that these believers have “overcome” these antichrists. John uses the concept of overcoming five other times in his letter. Believers have overcome the evil one (1 John 2:13, 14) and have overcome the world (1 John 5:4–5).

Third, John reminds the reader that the power of Christ, who lives in the believer, is greater than the power of the world. The Holy Spirit living in the Christian is far stronger than any attack by the Devil. This encouragement should empower believers not to fear Satan, but rather trust the Lord and obey His commands. By doing so, we can overcome the powers of darkness and walk with boldness in this life.

Verse 5. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

In contrast to John’s three comforts in verse 4, here he offers three negative words regarding false teachers. First, these deceptive ones are from the world, not from God. Those who are from the world do not have the love of God in them (1 John 2:15–17).

Second, as a result of being from the world, these deceivers have an ungodly outlook. A worldly person will speak from a worldly perspective. This is to be expected. Those who do so, however, are not “abiding” in God, nor are they speaking the truth.

Third, these worldly people are accepted by the rest of the world, since they speak from the same ungodly viewpoint. In short, “the world listens to them.” It is only natural that unbelievers will listen to and accept the teachings of unbelievers. Yet believers are taught, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15). Instead, believers are to do the will of God, knowing they will live for eternity with Him (1 John 2:17).

Verse 6. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John concludes this passage with another group of three comments. First, he notes, “We are from God.” Believers are not of this world (1 John 4:5) and should be distinctly different.

Second, a sign of real fellowship with God is openness to sound teachings. Believers who are truly walking with Christ will listen to godly teachers. John considered himself one of these godly teachers. He offered words of instruction, and certainly expected his readers to accept and obey. Of course, if it was not possible for a saved person to be deceived, John would have no reason to give his warning. True believers are not immune to deception, but those who truly walk with Christ have a better sense of good versus bad teachings.

Third, John states that unbelievers will naturally reject the message of God’s people.

The conclusion is that these basics let us judge between truth and error, spiritually speaking. Believers cannot believe every spiritual teaching (1 John 4:1). They are to accept teachings from God and His people, while rejecting worldly teachings presented by false teachers. Believers have overcome the false teachings in this world because the one in them is greater than the one in this world (1 John 4:4).

Verse 7. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

This verse begins the second major section of this chapter, returning to the theme of love. John begins by once again addressing his readers as “beloved.” He then mentions both love and God three times each. First, believers are to “love one another.” This reflects both the commandments of Jesus (John 13:34–35), and John’s prior teaching on recognizing a life influenced by Christ (1 John 2:7–11).

Second, the reason believers are to love one another is because “love is from God.” The ability to act lovingly towards others is one of the benefits of a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

Third, the person who truly loves God has “been born of God and knows God.” This last statement includes two separate ideas. The person who is “born of God” is a saved Christian believer (John 3). The natural, expected result of this is for that person to have a close relationship with Him. This results in that person “knowing” God. A person cannot love God adequately without being born again. Nor can a person truly love others apart from God’s love. Those who demonstrate godly love prove that they are saved.

Context Summary
First John 4:7–10 returns to the theme of love. Here, John explains how true, godly love in a person’s life is a sign of being born again. Those who truly love God will act on that love, towards other people. Those who don’t demonstrate love have no fellowship with God, at minimum. Love is something God showed us first, by sending Christ. Our love for Him is ultimately rooted in His original love for us. We are again reminded that true love involves acting, not just feeling.

Verse 8. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

In the second sentence of this section, John adds the comment that those who don’t love have no fellowship with God. The phrase “know God” uses the Greek root word ginosko. This is the same term used in verse 7, and many other places in the New Testament (John 17:3). To “know” God requires a person to have a relationship with Him, something John stresses often in this letter to Christian believers.

Love comes from God, so those who demonstrate love show they have fellowship with Him. The inverse is also true. The person who does not demonstrate love does not know God. John has already highlighted this message in previous chapters. However, the emphasis in this section is that God is love. Love is essential to Christian living because it is an essential part of God’s identity.

This love includes God’s creation of all things (Genesis 1—2), sustaining all things (Colossians 1:16–17), and redeeming believers through His Son Jesus (1 John 4:9). God is love, and He serves as the creator and sustainer of love in our world. Empowered by Jesus, we can experience God’s love and share it with others through our lives.

Verse 9. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

John condenses quite a bit of information into this verse. God revealed His love through Jesus, who John describes with some very specific details.

First, God’s love is not hidden; it was revealed. Jesus’ life and sacrifice are the ultimate proof that God truly loves His people.

Second, God sent Jesus. This uses words similar to what John wrote in his Gospel (John 3:16). Jesus didn’t merely appear to us, or visit us. He was “sent” with a purpose and for a reason.

Third, Jesus is the only Son of God. This uses the Greek word monogenē, which means “one and only.” It also speaks to Jesus’ divine nature. The term means something of the “exact same nature,” meaning Jesus is not a creation of God, but shares an identical divine nature.

Fourth, Jesus came to our world. This implies more than the fact that He was born as a man. This also includes the idea that He existed before He came to earth. Jesus was not created. Jesus was in the beginning with God and is God (John 1:1).

John also shares the reason Jesus was sent: “so that we might live through him.” Jesus came to give us life. This includes eternal life (John 3:16) and an abundant, “abiding” life now. In John 10:10 Jesus taught, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” A person experiences life at its fullest only by believing in Jesus and living for Him.

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

John emphasizes in this verse that godly love is not something which originated with man. Rather, it comes from God to us. As verse 19 will say, it was God who loved us first. As a result, and only as a result of this, we can love Him. His love provides us the opportunity to be born of Him, to know Him, and to love others.

God’s love was not simply a feeling, or an opinion. John taught that love needs to be acted out (1 John 3:18). This, again, is because of the example God has given to us. God sent Jesus to our world (1 John 4:9) as an act of love. Here we find the purpose: the “propitiation” for our sins. The word “propitiation” involves a payment or sacrifice to cover the cost of our sins. Under the Mosaic Law, the Jews offered ongoing sacrifices for their sins. Yet Christ provided the only sufficient payment, once for all, to cover the sins of the world. This was because He is the perfect sacrifice, without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

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

Starting a new thought, John begins again by referring to his readers as “Beloved.” The word “if” here is not used in the sense of asking a question. It’s meant to be understood as “since.” Since God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die to cover the cost of our sins, we should offer a similar response by loving others. Just as Jesus offered unconditional love through His sacrifice, believers are to offer similar love based on God’s example rather than our feelings or the actions of others.

It should also be noted that unconditional love does not mean accepting unconditional mistreatment. Turning the other cheek in the face of insults shows love (Matthew 5:39), but we are not called to be careless with our lives (Luke 22:36). For example, God does not desire a person to remain in a physically abusive situation in order to show love. God’s nature includes protection as well as love (Genesis 15:1; Psalm 18:2). We can love others unconditionally, while also using wisdom in dealing with those who might take advantage of the love of believers (Matthew 10:16).

Context Summary
First John 4:11–19 is the backbone of John’s letter. The primary way Christians are to be recognized is by love. This is not merely what we feel, but what we do for others. True, godly love is the most powerful evidence of being ”born again” as a child of God. This love comes from God, who loved us before we loved Him. When we live in obedience to God, according to love, we can be confident in our relationship with Him, and have no need to fear His judgment.

Verse 12. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

John reminds his readers of an important biblical truth. No person has ever seen God in His full divine essence. Even Moses saw only the back of God (Exodus 33:18–23). However God’s love allows humanity to “see” Him through the actions of His people. This echoes statements made in 1 John 2:5, and coming up in verse 17. When we have a thorough, complete experience of walking in God’s love, we demonstrate Him to ourselves and to others. God abides in those who seek to love Him. We do not need to physically see Him; He is already in us.

Also, God’s love is made perfect or complete in us. This does not mean we become sinless. Instead, the focus is on maturity or the quality of love in us. We can find no greater love than God’s love. The believer experiences God’s love inside of them, offering us everything we need to live for Him and to love others. We do not need to seek another experience, person, or teaching, as false teachers would suggest. The love of God is sufficient.

Verse 13. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

John gives further evidence of someone who has true fellowship with Christ in this verse. The Holy Spirit is the sign of our true faith. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Second Timothy 1:14 makes reference to “the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” Those who don’t display this Spirit need to examine their relationship with Christ—at worst, they may not have one at all.

If a person has God’s Spirit, he or she has Jesus, too. John has already taught that the one who has the Father has the Son. Here he adds that the one with the Spirit also has the Son. All three persons of the triune God are involved in our salvation. God sent the Son to provide salvation. The Spirit lives within us to help us live for Christ at the point of salvation and beyond. All three persons are involved in the life of the believer.

Verse 14. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

After speaking about the Spirit in verse 13, John transitions to the Father and the Son. John speaks as “we” in this verse, likely referring to the apostles who all saw and testified about Jesus during His life on earth. The reference to seeing Him connects with the opening verses of chapter 1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands” (1 John 1:1).

The phrase “Savior of the world” is used only one other time in the New Testament. In John 4:42 people from a Samaritan village who saw Jesus after listening to the testimony of the woman at the well with whom Jesus had interacted said to her, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” Jesus was not only the Savior of the Jews, but also Savior of the Samaritans, as well as the Gentiles John was writing to. Jesus came to offer salvation to all people, Jews and Gentiles alike (Romans 1:16).

This represents the key message of John’s letter. The presence and power of Christ in the life of a believer is the most important sign of our relationship with Him. Those who can see and feel the influence of godly love in their lives can be confident that they are part of the family of God. This allows us to serve Him with confidence, knowing that His gospel is for all people.

Verse 15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

John returns again to the idea of “confessing” Jesus from verse 2 and 3. Earlier in the chapter, John taught that the spirit that confesses Jesus is from God. Here, he teaches that the person who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son has God living in him, and that person lives in God. John has now shifted from recognizing Jesus in others to recognizing Jesus in one’s own life.

First John 4:2 also emphasized that only false teachers deny that Jesus came in the flesh. Here, the truth also requires a person to believe that Jesus is divine—that He is God’s Son. Both aspects are essential to knowing God. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. We may not fully understand it, but we must recognize Jesus as both human and divine. Without His humanity, He could not die and rise again. Without His deity, He could not be without sin and offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice. Both aspects of His being are essential to His work and to our salvation.

Verse 16. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

John includes both himself and his readers as believers in the beginning of this verse. His words clearly state that both knowing and believing are important. In many modern churches, believing has been emphasized apart from knowing God. This can lead to people who accept Jesus yet do not live for Him. These people may be “born of God,” but they show no signs of “abiding” in Him. Other church movements greatly emphasize knowing God, whether through worship experiences or service to others, yet fail to emphasize salvation. Such people may not have any real relationship with Christ at all, since their concept of God is based on fickle human feelings.

Both “to know and to believe” are essential in the life of a Christian believer. We must believe in who Christ really is, for salvation. We must “know” Him through obedience and fellowship, to be accepted in our actions, and to be blessed by Him.

John adds in the second part of this verse his refrain from verse 8. Namely, that “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” The person who continues in love is also continuing in God. In other words, love for God and others is the way to remain growing in the Lord. Those who do so have God abiding or living in them. Great, godly love is a powerful sign that a person is a genuine believer in Christ.

Verse 17. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

Verses 17–19 offer insight regarding the source and impact of love. First, a growing love for God leads to confident anticipation of the future day of judgment. Believers who grow and mature in their faith need not fear how God will evaluate them in the future. They have been forgiven by God and are obeying His commands.

The second phrase is more difficult to understand: “because as he is so also are we in this world.” The “he” in this case refers to Jesus. Just as Jesus is in this world, so the believer is. What does this mean? By loving others we become like Jesus. We need not fear (1 John 4:18), but enjoy God’s love and live it out in serving others, just like Jesus did. Jesus lived among those He served, taught them, prayed for them, served them, and ultimately gave His life for others, leaving a powerful example for our own lives.

Verse 18. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

When we experience God’s love in our lives and share it with others, we do not need to fear. The future punishment that awaits those who do not believe does not concern the “abiding” believer. The two-way relationship of God’s love in our lives gives us confidence and security. The ability to live out His love is a sign of our faith in Him, and the way for us to follow His will in order to gain eternal rewards.

Fear is associated with punishment. The believer has been fully forgiven of sins. The one who knows Christ in true fellowship lives for Him and does not need to fear future punishment. The person who experiences fear “has not been perfected in love.” In other words, those who fear punishment don’t have a complete or mature relationship with God. This certainly applies to unbelievers, but can also include believers who are not growing in Christ. It is the growing, maturing believer who can look forward to the future with joy rather than fear.

Verse 19. We love because he first loved us.

This short verse offers profound words. People do not wake up one day and decide to love (Romans 3:10). God is love, created love, and loved us first. John’s summary of verses 17 and 18 also serves as a reminder. We are not to take credit for the love we have and show to others. God loved us, before we were capable of loving Him, and we can only love others because of what He has done in our lives.

As verses 20 and 21 will add, this love is not merely a mutual affection between us and God. It must also include love for others. Acting out of love is not exclusive to God in this context, but consists of loving both God and other people. This is the Great Commandment which involves loving God fully and loving neighbor as yourself. This teaching is also based upon the ancient Shema, or the Saying, from Deuteronomy 6:4–5: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” The same is seen in Leviticus 19:18: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Verse 20. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

This verse is the fourth of five times John mentions liars in this letter (1 John 1:10; 2:4, 22; 4:20; 5:10). Love for others, especially fellow Christians, is a primary commandment from Christ. So, a person who exhibits hate for others, but claims to know God, is lying. A liar says he knows God but does not keep His commands (1 John 2:4). A liar denies Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22). Here, we are told that a liar says he loves God but hates other people.

The second part of the verse adds an explanation, moving from the “seen” to the “unseen.” It is more difficult to love someone you cannot see than someone you can see. If a person cannot love those they see, they cannot reasonably claim to love those they cannot see. This verse explicitly declares that a person cannot truly love God while hating other people. The person who claims to love God must also show love for others.

This also ties into the idea that, since we cannot see God in all of His divine essence, love is meant to be the way God is seen. Both in ourselves, and in the world, God’s love is meant to be the way humanity “sees” Him.

Context Summary
First John 4:20–21 concludes chapter 4 by clearly stating the importance of love in the life of a believer. Those who cannot love people they can see cannot love a God they cannot see. Anyone who harbors hate, but claims to love God, is a liar. Other parts of this letter have explained that love, shown by Christians, is meant to be how God is ”seen” by the world.

Verse 21. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

This summarizing verse includes aspects from both verses 19 and 20. Believers must love God, and they must love other people. John specifically refers to this as a “commandment.” Believers keep God’s commandments (1 John 2:3). John mentioned other commandments in his letter, including loving one another (1 John 2:7–8) and believing in the name of Jesus (1 John 3:23). Here, love for God and others is included as a third commandment.

While this focus on commandments may seem difficult, 1 John 5:3 adds, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” In comparison to the laws of men as well as the many laws found in the Torah, Christ’s commandments are few in number. However, His commandments are difficult in the sense that no one can perfectly love God and others. This is an ongoing goal that every believer must practice daily.

End of Chapter 4.

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