28 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO 1 John 4 In this chapter the apostle cautions against seducing spirits; advises to try them, and gives rules by which they may be known, and by which they are distinguished from others; and then returns to his favourite subject, brotherly love. He exhorts the saints not to believe every man that came with a doctrine to them, but to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Beloved, believe not every spirit,.... The apostle having mentioned the word "spirit" in the latter part of the preceding chapter, takes an occasion from thence to return to what he had been suggesting in the "second" chapter, concerning the many antichrists that then were, and whom he points out, and here cautions against. By "every spirit" he...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
In this chapter the apostle exhorts to try spirits (ver. 1), gives a note to try by (ver. 2, 3), shows who are of the world and who of God (ver. 4-6), urges Christian love by divers considerations (ver. 7-16), describes our love to God, and the effect of it, ver. 17-21. Concerning Antichrist. (a. d. 80.) 1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. If John had need to say that in the early morning of Christianity, I am sure we ought to say it with greater emphasis today. It is certainly true in these days that “many false prophets are gone out into the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. This is an unction of which there is great need in the present day, when so many accept anything that they hear from a “priest” or from a pastor without searching the Scriptures to see whether what they hear is in...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. It was so in John’s day: it is so in these days. If there were only one false prophet, we should have need to be on our guard, but “many false prophets are gone out into the world.” If false prophets were all...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Beloved, believe not every spirit, — A simpleton believes every word that he hears, but “the wise man’s eyes are in his head,” so he examines what he sees and hears, and does not blindly accept whatever may be told to him. So John says, “Believe not every spirit,” — 1Jn_4:1-3. But try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. There is love in our creation; there is love in providence; but most of all there is love in the gift of Christ for our redemption. The apostle here seems to say, “Now that I have found the great secret of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God,.... This is a rule by which believers may know whether a man professing to have the Spirit of God, and to be called and sent by him, and whether the, doctrine he preaches, is of him or not: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God; or of the Spirit of God; that is, every...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And every spirit that confesseth not,.... The proper deity and sonship of Christ, his true and real humanity, and his Messiahship; or any of his offices, doctrines, and ordinances; or his satisfaction and righteousness; or that peace, pardon, justification, life, and salvation, are by him; all which are meant by what follows, that Jesus Christ is...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ye are of God, little children,.... This, with what follows, is said for the comfort of the saints, and to deliver them from the fears of being drawn aside by the delusions of the false prophets, and antichrists; since they belonged to God, were his elect, and therefore could not be finally and totally seduced; they were the children of God by...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
They are of the world,.... That is, the false prophets and teachers that were gone into the world, and had the spirit of antichrist in them; these were as they were when they came into the world, under the pollution, guilt, and dominion of sin, in a state of unregeneracy, carnality, and darkness; they properly belonged unto it, and walked after...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
We are of God,.... Not only as the chosen of God, the children of God, regenerated ones, and believers, but as ministers of the Gospel; they were chosen, and called, and sent of God to preach the Gospel, and were qualified for it, by gifts received from him, and had their doctrine from him, as well as their commission and mission: they were not of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Beloved, let its love one another,.... The apostle having finished what he proposed to say concerning the trying of spirits, returns to his former exhortation to brotherly love, and which comes with fresh force and strength; for since worldly men follow, hear, embrace, and cleave to the false teachers; such as are of God, and on the side of truth,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
He that loveth not, knoweth not God,.... If a man loves not the children of God, those that are born of him, he does not know, so as to love God, the Father of them; for to pretend love to God, the begetter of them, whom he sees not, and not love those who are begotten by him, and are visible objects of respect, is a contradiction, and cannot be...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
In this was manifested the love of God towards us,.... The love of God here spoken of, and instanced in, is not his general love to all his creatures, which is shown in the make of them, and in the support of them in their beings, and in his providential care of them, and kindness to them; but his special love towards his elect, and which was...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Herein is love,.... The love of God, free love, love that cannot be matched: herein it is manifested, as before; this is a clear evidence of it, an undoubted proof, and puts it out of all question: not that we loved God: the love of God is antecedent to the love of his people; it was when theirs was not; when they were without love to him, yea,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Beloved, if God so loved us,.... As to send his Son to be a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, and to obtain eternal life for us through his sufferings and death: the apostle uses the same language his Lord and master did, John 3:16; we ought also to love one another; for those who are the objects of God's love ought to be the objects of ours;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
No man hath seen God at any time,.... The same is said by the Evangelist John, John 1:18; but here it is observed with a different view, and upon another account; there it signifies that no man has seen and looked into the counsels and designs of God, and been able to make a discovery and declaration of his mind and will, his love and grace, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,.... That there is a communion between God and us, and a communication of his love and grace to us, and an exercise of grace upon him; for God dwells in his people by his Spirit and grace, and they dwell in him by the exercise of faith and love upon him: and this is known, because he hath given us...