On Denying the Incarnation

Dear friends,(A) do not believe every spirit,(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(C) This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh(D) is from God,(E) but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.(G)

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The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits(A) to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has[a] come in the flesh(B) is from God.(C) But every spirit who does not confess Jesus[b] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist;(D) you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 John 4:2 Or confesses Jesus to be the Christ
  2. 1 John 4:3 Other mss read confess that Jesus has come in the flesh