What is the meaning of 1 John 4:2? By this you will know the Spirit of God John sets out a simple, reliable measure for testing spiritual claims. God is not hiding the truth from His people; He wants us to discern. • Jesus promised, “The Spirit of truth… you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). • The same Spirit “testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). • Paul echoes the test: “No one speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). Knowing is possible because the Spirit who inspired Scripture never contradicts Himself. Every spirit that confesses John moves from general discernment to a specific confession. “Confesses” is more than polite agreement; it is an open, heartfelt declaration. • Jesus warned, “Whoever confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9). • True confession rises from belief that grips both mind and heart (Romans 10:9-10). • False teachers may use Jesus’ name, but they avoid a clear, Scriptural confession; their silence or vagueness betrays them (Matthew 7:21-23). That Jesus Christ has come in the flesh This is the core of Christian doctrine: the eternal Son truly became human. • “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). • “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity” (Hebrews 2:14). • John warns again, “Many deceivers… do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 7). The incarnation secures our redemption; deny it and you unravel the gospel itself. Is from God A spirit—or teacher—who affirms the biblical Jesus stands under God’s authority. • “Whoever is of God listens to God’s words” (John 8:47). • “The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us: by the Spirit He has given us” (1 John 3:24). Right confession and right origin go together; orthodoxy and a genuine relationship with God cannot be separated. summary John provides a clear litmus test: acknowledge the real, incarnate Jesus and you reveal the Spirit of God at work. Reject or redefine Him and you expose a counterfeit spirit. Hold fast to the plain teaching of Scripture, and you will stand secure in the truth. |
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