1 John 4:1-3

Expanded Bible

Warning Against False Teachers

4 ·My dear friends [^LBeloved], many false prophets [Deut. 13:1–5; 18:14–22; Mark 13:22] have gone out into the world. So do not ·believe [trust] every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God [^Cthe false teachers evidently claimed that their teaching was from the Spirit; 1 Cor. 12:1–3; 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:19–21]. ² This is how you can ·know [recognize] God’s Spirit: Every spirit [^Ca teacher/prophet claiming inspiration from the Spirit] who ·confesses [acknowledges] that Jesus Christ came ·to earth as a human [^Lin the flesh] is from God. ³ And every spirit who ·refuses to say this about Jesus [^Ldoes not confess/acknowledge Jesus] is not from God [2 John 7]. It is the spirit of the ·enemy of Christ [^Lantichrist; 2:18, 22], which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world.