Verses 1 John 4:1-6 are parenthetical and are a warning to the believers to discern the spirits (since the Spirit, whereby we know that the Lord abides in us, is mentioned in the preceding verse, 1 John 3:24) that they may know the false prophets. A similar warning was given in 1 John 2:18-23. The expressions every spirit and the spirits refer to the spirits of the prophets (1 Cor. 14:32), which are motivated by the Spirit of truth, and the spirits of the false prophets, which are actuated by the spirit of deception. Hence, there is the need to discern the spirits by proving them to determine whether they are of God.

I.e., discern the spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) by putting them on trial.

Lit., out of; so also in succeeding verses.

In Matt. 24:24 the false prophets differ from the false Christs. But here the false prophets are the antichrists (v. 3), those who teach heretically concerning the person of Christ (1 John 2:18 and note 1 John 2:18^2b; 1 John 2:22-23).

The spirit of a genuine prophet, which is motivated by the Holy Spirit of truth; such a spirit confesses the divine conception of Jesus, affirming that He was born as the Son of God. Every such spirit is surely of God. In this we know the Spirit of God.

Jesus was conceived of the Spirit (Matt. 1:18). To confess that Jesus has come in the flesh is to confess that He was divinely conceived to be born as the Son of God (Luke 1:31-35). Since He was conceived of the Spirit to be born in the flesh, the Spirit would never deny that He has come in the flesh through divine conception.

The spirit of a false prophet, which is actuated by the spirit of deception; such a spirit does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh. This is the spirit of the errors of the Docetists (or, Docetes). This name was derived from the Greek word meaning to seem, to appear to be. The heretical view of the Docetists was that Jesus Christ was not a real man but simply appeared to be; to them He was merely a phantasm. Docetism was intermixed with Gnosticism, which taught that all matter was essentially evil. Hence, the Docetists taught that since Christ is holy, He could never have had the defilement of human flesh. They taught that His body was not real flesh and blood but was merely a deceptive, transient phantom, and thus that He did not suffer, die, and resurrect. Such a heresy undermines not only the Lord's incarnation but also His redemption and resurrection. Docetism was a characteristic feature of the first antichristian errorists, whom John had in view here and in 2 John 1:7. The spirit of such errorists is surely not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.

See note 1 John 2:18^2b.

The believers are of God because they have been begotten of God (v. 7; 2:29; 3:9).

See note 1 John 2:1¹.

The false prophets (v. 1), the antichrists (v. 3), who taught heretically concerning Christ's person. The believers have overcome them by abiding in the truth concerning Christ's deity and concerning His humanity through divine conception, according to the teaching of the divine anointing (1 John 2:27).

The Triune God, who dwells in the believers as the all-inclusive, life-giving, anointing Spirit and who strengthens them from within with all the rich elements of the Triune God (Eph. 3:16-19). Such a One is much greater and stronger than Satan, the evil spirit.

Satan, the fallen angel, who as the evil spirit usurps fallen mankind and who operates in evil persons, the components of his world system. This one is lesser and weaker than the Triune God.

Both the heretics and the heresies concerning Christ's person are of the satanic world system. Hence, the people who are the components of this evil system listen to them and follow them.

Both the heretics and the heresies concerning Christ's person are of the satanic world system. Hence, the people who are the components of this evil system listen to them and follow them.

The apostles, the believers, and the truth that they believe and teach concerning Christ are of God. Hence, the God-knowing people, who have been begotten of God (v. 7), listen to them and stay with them.

The worldlings are not of God, because they have not been begotten of God. Hence, they do not listen to the believers.

Lit., out of this. This refers to what was mentioned in vv. 5-6. From the fact that the heretics and what they speak out of their spirit, actuated by the spirit of deception, are of the world, and we and what we speak out of our spirit, motivated by the Spirit of truth, are of God, we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. This implies that the Holy Spirit of truth is one with our truth-speaking spirit and that the evil spirit of deception is one with the heretics' deception-speaking spirit.

The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of reality (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13); the spirit of deception is Satan, the evil spirit, the spirit of falsehood (Eph. 2:2).

Denoting the divine reality revealed in the New Testament (see note 1 John 1:6⁶), especially, as seen here, concerning the divine incarnation of the Lord Jesus, to which the Spirit of God testifies (v. 2). This reality is in contrast to the deception of the evil spirit, the spirit of the antichrist, which denies the divine incarnation of Jesus (v. 3).

The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of reality (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13); the spirit of deception is Satan, the evil spirit, the spirit of falsehood (Eph. 2:2).

Verses 1 John 4:7-21 are an extension of the section from 1 John 2:28-29; 3:1-24 and further stress brotherly love, already covered in 1 John 3:10-24, as a higher condition of the life that abides in the Lord.

See note 1 John 2:5^2c.

The believers, who have been begotten of God and know God, love one another habitually with the love that is out of God and is the expression of God.

The apostle's emphasis here is still the divine birth, through which the divine life has been imparted into the believers, the life that affords them the life ability to know God. This divine birth is the basic factor of brotherly love, which is a higher condition of the life that abides in the Lord. See note 1 John 2:29⁷.

A knowing by the divine life (John 17:3) received from the divine birth.

He who has not known God does not have the knowing ability of the divine life received from the divine birth. Such a one, who has not been begotten of God and does not have God as his life, does not love with God as love, since he does not know God as love.

See note 1 John 2:5^2c. This Epistle says first that God is light (1 John 1:5) and then that God is love. Love, as the nature of God's essence, is the source of grace, and light, as the nature of God's expression, is the source of truth. When the divine love appears to us, it becomes grace, and when the divine light shines upon us, it becomes truth (see note 1 John 1:6⁶ final par.). Both of these were manifested in this way in John's Gospel. We received both grace and truth there through the manifestation of the Son (John 1:14, 16-17). Now in John's Epistle we come in the Son to the Father and touch the sources of both grace and truth. These sources, love and light, are God the Father Himself for our deeper and finer enjoyment in the fellowship of the divine life with the Father in the Son (1 John 1:3-7) through our abiding in Him (1 John 2:5, 27-28; 3:6, 24). See note 1 John 1:5^3b.

Lit., in us; i.e., in our case, or, in regard to us. In God's sending of His Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him, the higher and nobler love of God was manifested among us.

As in 1 Tim. 1:15, the place where fallen mankind is.

We, the fallen people, are not only sinful in nature and conduct (Rom. 7:17-18; 1:28-32) but also dead in our spirit (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13). God sent His Son into the world not only to be a propitiation for our sins that we might be forgiven (v. 10) but also to be life to us that we might have life and live through Him. In the love of God, the Son of God saves us not only from our sins by His blood (Eph. 1:7; Rev. 1:5) but also from our death by His life (3:14-15; John 5:24). He is not only the Lamb of God who takes away our sin (John 1:29); He is also the Son of God who gives us eternal life (John 3:36). He died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3) that we might have eternal life in Him (John 3:14-16) and live through Him (John 6:57; 14:19). In this the love of God, which is God's essence, has been manifested.

Referring to the following fact: it is not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins. In this fact is the higher and nobler love of God.

See note 1 John 2:2^1a.

To love with the love of God, as He loved us.

This indicates that if we love one another with the love of God, as He loved us, we express Him in His essence, so that others can behold in us what He is essentially.

To love one another is a condition of our abiding in God (v. 13), and our abiding in God is a condition of His abiding in us (John 15:4). Hence, when we love one another, God abides in us and His love is manifested perfectly in us.

The love of God in 1 John 2:5 denotes God's love within us that becomes our love toward Him, and it is with this love that we love Him. His love here denotes God's love within us that becomes our love toward one another, and it is with this love that we love one another. This indicates that we should take God's love as our love with which we love Him and love one another.

The Greek word means to complete, to accomplish, to finish. In God Himself the love of God itself is perfect and complete. However, in us it needs to be perfected and completed in its manifestation. It was manifested to us in God's sending of His Son to be both a propitiatory sacrifice and life to us (vv. 9-10). Yet if we do not love one another with this love as it was manifested to us, that is, if we do not express it by loving one another with the love with which God loved us, it is not manifested perfectly and completely. This love is perfected and completed in its manifestation when we express it in our living by habitually loving one another with it. Our living in which we love one another in the love of God is the perfection and completion of this love in its manifestation in us. Thus, in our living in God's love, others can behold God manifested in His essence, which is love.

In that God has given to us of His Spirit, we know that we abide in Him and He in us. The Spirit, whom God has given to dwell in us (James 4:5; Rom. 8:9, 11), is the witness in our spirit (Rom. 8:16), witnessing that we dwell in God and God in us. The abiding Spirit, that is, the indwelling Spirit, is the element and sphere of the mutual abiding, the mutual indwelling, of us and God. By Him we are assured that we and God are one, that we abide in each other, indwelling each other mutually. This is evidenced by our living, a living in which we love one another habitually with His love (v. 12).

To abide in God is to dwell in Him, to remain in our fellowship with Him, that we may experience and enjoy His abiding in us. This is to practice our oneness with God according to the divine anointing (1 John 2:27) by living a life that practices His righteousness and His love. It is all carried out by the operation of the all-inclusive compound Spirit, who dwells in our spirit and who is the basic element of the divine anointing.

Lit., out of. God has given us out of His Spirit. This closely resembles, and almost repeats, the word in 1 John 3:24, which proves that this does not mean that God has given us something of His Spirit, such as the various gifts in 1 Cor. 12:4, but that He has given the Spirit Himself as the all-inclusive gift (Acts 2:38). Out of His Spirit is an expression that implies that the Spirit of God, whom God has given to us, is bountiful and without measure (Phil. 1:19; John 3:34). By such a bountiful, immeasurable Spirit we know with full assurance that we and God are one and that we abide in each other.

The Father's sending of the Son to be our Savior is an external act, so that through our confessing of the Son He can abide in us and we in Him (v. 15). The apostles have beheld and testify this. This is the outward testimony. In addition to this, God's internal act toward us is the sending of His Spirit to dwell in us as inward evidence that we abide in Him and He in us (v. 13).

Fallen mankind, as in John 3:16.

God the Father sent His Son as the Savior of the world (v. 14) that men may believe in Him by confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, so that God may abide in them and they in God. But the heretical Cerinthians did not confess this; hence, they did not have God abiding in them, nor did they abide in God. Whoever confesses this, God abides in him and he in God. He becomes one with God in the divine life and nature.

In sending the Son to be our Savior (v. 14).

See note 1 John 4:9¹.

See note 1 John 4:8^2c. That God is love was manifested in His sending of His Son to be our Savior and life (vv. 9-10, 14).

To abide in love is to live a life in which we love others habitually with the love that is God Himself, that He may be expressed in us.

To abide in God is to live a life that is God Himself as our inward content and outward expression, that we may be absolutely one with Him.

God abides in us to be our life inwardly and our living outwardly. Thus He can be one with us practically.

I.e., our abiding in the love that is God Himself (v. 16). In this the love of God is perfected in us, that is, perfectly manifested in us, that we may have boldness without fear (v. 18) in the day of judgment.

See note 1 John 4:12^4b.

See note 1 John 3:21^1b. There the boldness is for us to contact God in fellowship with Him. Here the boldness is for us to face the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ.

The judgment at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10) at His coming back (1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5; 2 Tim. 4:8).

As in 1 John 3:3, 7, this refers to Christ, who lived in this world a life of God as love and who is now our life that we may live the same life of love in this world and be the same as He is.

Fear does not refer to the fear that we will offend God and be judged by Him (1 Pet. 1:17; Heb. 12:28) but to the fear that we have offended God and will be judged by Him. Love refers to the perfected love mentioned in the preceding verse, the love of God with which we love others.

Perfect love is the love that has been perfected (v. 17) in us by our loving others with the love of God. Such love casts out fear and has no fear of being punished by the Lord at His coming back (Luke 12:46-47).

I.e., not lived in the love of God that it might be perfectly manifested in him. See note 1 John 4:12^4b.

God first loved us in that He infused us with His love and generated within us the love with which we love Him and the brothers (vv. 20-21).

He who hates a brother habitually proves that he is not abiding in the divine love or in the divine light (1 John 2:9-11). When we abide in the Lord, we abide in both the divine love and the divine light; we do not hate the brothers but love them habitually, living the divine life in the divine light and the divine love.