1 John 4:2

King James Version (KJV)

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God - We know that the man who teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, and that he is come in the flesh, is of God - is inspired by the Divine Spirit; for no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

Hereby - Greek, “By this;” that is, by the test which is immediately specified.

Know ye the Spirit of God - You may discern who are actuated by the Spirit of God.

Every spirit - Everyone professing to be under the influence of the Spirit of God. The apostle uses the word “spirit” here with reference to the person who made the claim, on the supposition that everyone professing to be a religious teacher was animated by some spirit or foreign influence, good or bad. If the Spirit of God influenced them, they would confess that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh; if some other spirit, the spirit of error and deceit, they would deny this.

That confesseth - That is, that makes a proper acknowledgment of this; that inculcates this doctrine, and that gives it a due place and prominence in his instructions. It cannot be supposed that a mere statement of this in words would show that they were of God in the sense that they were true Christians; but the sense is, that if this constituted one of the doctrines which they held and taught, it would show that they were advocates of truth, and not apostles of error. If they did not do this, 1 John 4:3, it would be decisive in regard to their character and claims.

That Jesus Christ is come in the flesh - Benson and some others propose to render this, “That Jesus, who came in the flesh, is the Christ.” But this is liable to serious objections.

(1)it is not the obvious interpretation.

(2)it is unusual to say that Jesus “had come in the flesh,” though the expression “the Son of God has come in the flesh,” or “God was manifested in the flesh,” would be in accordance with the usage of the New Testament.

(3)this would not, probably, meet the real point in the case. The thing denied does not appear to have been that Jesus was the Messiah, for their pretending to be Christian teachers at all implied that they admitted this; but that the Son of God was “really a man,” or that he actually assumed human nature in permanent union with the divine. The point of the remark made by the apostle is, that the acknowledgment was to be that Christ assumed human nature; that he was really a man as he appeared to be: or that there was a real incarnation, in opposition to the opinion that he came in appearance only, or that he merely seemed to be a man, and to suffer and die. That this opinion was held by many, see the Introduction, Section III. 2. It is quite probable that the apostle here refers to such sentiments as those which were held by the “Docetae;” and that he meant to teach that it was indispensable to proper evidence that anyone came from God, that he should maintain that Jesus was truly a man, or that there was a real incarnation of the Son of God. John always regarded this as a very important point, and often refers to it, John 19:34-35; John 20:25-27; 1 John 5:6. It is as important to be held now as it was then, for the fact that there was a real incarnation is essential to all just views of the atonement. If he was not truly a man, if he did not literally shed his blood on the cross, of course all that was done was in appearance only, and the whole system of redemption as revealed was merely a splendid illusion. There is little danger that this opinion will be held now, for those who depart from the doctrine laid down in the New Testament in regard to the person and work of Christ, are more disposed to embrace the opinion that he was a mere man; but still it is important that the truth that he was truly incarnate should be held up constantly before the mind, for in no other way can we obtain just views of the atonement.

Is of God - This does not necessarily mean that everyone who confessed this was personally a true Christian, for it is clear that a doctrine might be acknowledged to be true, and yet that the heart might not be changed; nor does it mean that the acknowledgment of this truth was all which it was essential to be believed in order that one might be recognised as a Christian; but it means that it was essential that this truth should be admitted by everyone who truly came from God. They who taught this held a truth which he had revealed, and which was essential to be held; and they thus showed that they did not belong to those to whom the name “antichrist” could be properly given. Still, whether they held this doctrine in such a sense, and in such connection with other doctrines, as to show that they were sincere Christians, was quite another question, for it is plain that a man may hold and teach the true doctrines of religion, and yet have no evidence that he is a child of God.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures, may, in humble dependence on Divine teaching, discern those who set forth doctrines according to the apostles, and those who contradict them. The sum of revealed religion is in the doctrine concerning Christ, his person and office. The false teachers spake of the world according to its maxims and tastes, so as not to offend carnal men. The world approved them, they made rapid progress, and had many followers such as themselves; the world will love its own, and its own will love it. The true doctrine as to the Saviour's person, as leading men from the world to God, is a mark of the spirit of truth in opposition to the spirit of error. The more pure and holy any doctrine is, the more likely to be of God; nor can we by any other rules try the spirits whether they are of God or not. And what wonder is it, that people of a worldly spirit should cleave to those who are like themselves, and suit their schemes and discourses to their corrupt taste?

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

2. Hereby. Literally, “in this,” referring forward to the test that is outlined later in the verse (cf. on ch. 2:3).

Know ye. The Greek may be translated either as an imperative, “know,” or as an indicative, “ye know.” Johannine usage favors the second rendering, as in chs. 2:3, 5; 3:16; etc. The apostle is appealing to the believers’ knowledge rather than urging them to gain that knowledge.

Spirit of God. This is the only occurrence of this title in John’s writings. The identical Greek form (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14; 3:16) is rare in the NT. John expects Christians experimentally to identify the Spirit that comes from God. No claim to divine origin or authority is to be accepted for any teaching without its first being tested. The Scriptures provide a reliable standard by which to test all claims, for every divinely inspired message will harmonize with what the Lord has already revealed (see on 2 Peter 1:20, 21).

Every spirit. John’s words are all-inclusive—he is ready to acknowledge “every spirit” that fulfills the conditions.

Confesseth. Gr. homologeÅÂ (see on ch. 1:9; cf. on Matt. 10:32). Here, homologeÅÂ seems to carry a twofold meaning: (1) to acknowledge the truth of the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God; (2) to reveal in the life the effect of believing this doctrine. The fullest interpretation calls for more than verbal agreement with a teaching: it demands the Christ-filled life.

Jesus Christ. See on Matt. 1:1; Phil. 2:5; 1 John 2:22; 3:23.

Is come. Rather, “has come.” The verb implies that Christ existed before he became a man. From His former state He has come to earth. The form of the Greek verb may be understood as signifying that the Saviour did not temporarily come in the flesh and then leave it, but that He still retains the human as well as the divine nature, and is thus a human representative in heaven, though also a divine one, for He is a member of the Godhead (see on John 1:14; see Vol. V, pp. 917, 918).

In the flesh. Some of those who denied the humanity of Christ, claimed that the Word came upon the man Jesus at baptism, and left Him before crucifixion, but John refutes this.

At every stage in world history there has been a present truth to be emphasized, but that present truth has varied through the ages. The Jews who were converted after Pentecost needed to accept Jesus as the expected Messiah in order to become Christians, for the point at issue was the deity of Christ. A little later the Gnostics denied, not the divinity, but the humanity of the Saviour. They were prepared to believe that the gods manifest themselves to men in various ways, but denied that “the Word was made flesh” (see pp. 625, 626). Thus John’s emphasis on the incarnation had peculiar significance for the days in which the apostle lived.

But the truth he enunciates needs emphasis at all times, and never more than in our own day. The fact that the Son of God became man in order to save men must be clearly taught in these times when men more than ever attempt to explain away the miraculous (see on Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:35). We need to be personally conscious of the incarnation, to remind ourselves that the God who made that miracle possible is well able to perform any miracle that is needed for our salvation. Our acceptance of His plans and our adherence to His guidance can be a confession of our belief that “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” Such a witness cannot be borne without divine aid, for “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3).

Is of God. Literally, “out of God is” (see on v. 1). He who confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh demonstrates the divine origin of the spirit that works in him.

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1 John 4:2