1 John 4:3

1 John 4:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
• New International Version (NIV)but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
• New King James Version (NKJV)and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Context of 1 John 4:3

1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them.

1 John 4:3 word by word

καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
• spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• thatὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• confessethὁμολογέωhomologeō · to confess/professG3670
• notμήmē · notG3361
• that Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• that JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• is comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• notοὐou · noG3756
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• of antichristἀντίχριστοςantichristos · antichristG500
• ye have heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• even nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
• alreadyἤδηēdē · alreadyG2235
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889

Cross-references for 1 John 4:3

• 1 John 2:18Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:7For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
• 2 John 1:7I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Commentaries on 1 John 4:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Every spirit - Every teacher, that confesseth not Jesus, is not of God - has not been inspired by God. The words , is come in the flesh, are wanting in AB, several others, both the Syriac, the Polyglot Arabic, Ethiopic, Coptic, Armenian, and Vulgate; in Origen, Cyril, Theodoret, Irenaeus, and others. Griesbach has left them out of the text. Spirit of antichrist - All the opponents of Christ's incarnation, and consequently of his passion, death, and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And every spirit that confesseth not … - That is, this doctrine is essential to the Christian system; and he who does not hold it cannot be regarded either as a Christian, or recognised as a Christian teacher. If he was not a man, then all that occurred in his life, in Gethsemane, and on the cross, was in “appearance” only, and was assumed only to delude the senses. There were no real sufferings; there was no shedding of blood; there was no death on the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-6Those who belong to God can tell the difference between spiritual truth and error (4:4). The presence of the Holy Spirit teaches them (3:23–24; see 2:20, 27; John 14:15–26; 16:5–15). Yet John gives clear tests that Christians can use so that there will be no confusion. These tests are a beginning point for identifying true teachers, not a complete list. John designed them to answer the false teachings that were spreading in the churches of the people he…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh--Irenæus [3.8], Lucifer, Origen, on Mt 25:14, and Vulgate read, "Every spirit which destroys (sets aside, or does away with) Jesus (Christ)." Cyprian and Polycarp support English Version text. The oldest extant manuscripts, which are, however, centuries after Polycarp, read, "Every spirit that confesseth not (that is, refuses to confess) Jesus" (in His person, and all His offices and divinity)…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 John 4:3

• Antichrist
• Confession
• Doctrines
• Minister, Christian
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Jesus Christ
• Antichrist
• Benevolence
• Fear

Commentaries on 1 John 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings