1 John 4:1-6

Test the Spirits

1 Beloved, ¹do not believe every spirit, but ²test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ³many ⁴false prophets ⁵have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: ⁶every spirit that confesses that ⁷Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 and every spirit ⁸that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ⁹now is in the world already.

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ¹⁰he who is in you is greater than ¹¹he who is in the world.

5 ¹²They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ¹³the world listens to them.

6 We are from God. ¹⁴Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ¹⁵the Spirit of truth and ¹⁶the spirit of error.

Cross References

• 1. 4:1 Jer. 29:8
• 2. 4:1 1 Thess. 5:21; [1 Cor. 12:10; 14:29; Rev. 2:2]
• 3. 4:1 See ch. 2:18
• 4. 4:1 2 Pet. 2:1
• 5. 4:1 2 John 7
• 6. 4:2 [1 Cor. 12:3]
• 7. 4:2 2 John 7
• 8. 4:3 ch. 2:22; 2 John 7
• 9. 4:3 ch. 2:18; [2 Thess. 2:3-7]
• 10. 4:4 See Rom. 8:31
• 11. 4:4 [1 Cor. 2:12]; See John 12:31
• 12. 4:5 John 3:31; 8:23
• 13. 4:5 John 15:19
• 14. 4:6 [John 8:47; 10:16; 18:37; 1 Cor. 14:37]
• 15. 4:6 John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13
• 16. 4:6 [1 Cor. 2:12; 1 Tim. 4:1]