RSV ~ 1 John 4 Notes

1 Jn 4:1 | ISB Notes

test the spirits: An appeal for spiritual discernment. Readers must distinguish lying spirits, who whisper words of deceit into the ears of the false prophets, from the Holy Spirit, whose voice is heard in the teaching of the apostles (Jn 14:26; 16:13). As a practical test, John proposes that one’s confession of faith—especially in Christ’s Incarnation (1 Jn 4:2)—must measure up to the apostolic gospel to be genuine and true. To confess otherwise is to contradict the Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).

false prophets: The heretics who deserted John’s community (2:19). Both Jesus and the apostles warned of their arrival (Mt 24:11; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Pet 2:1).

1 Jn 4:2 | ISB Notes

come in the flesh: The most serious denial of the false teachers (2 Jn 7). John makes several emphatic assertions about the physical reality of Jesus’ humanity to counter this rejection (1 Jn 1:1-2; 4:14; 5:6-8; Jn 1:14). Denial of the Incarnation of Christ took many forms in Christian antiquity (CCC 465). See introduction to 1 John: Purpose.

1 Jn 4:3 | ISB Notes

spirit of antichrist: A mentality hostile to the messianic dignity of Jesus. See note on 1 Jn 2:18.

1 Jn 4:4 | ISB Notes

he who is in you: The indwelling Spirit, who empowers us to resist deception by the strength of the truth (3:24; 4:13). This is one way believers share in Christ’s victory over the devil (3:8), who still holds the unbelieving world captive in ignorance and error (5:19).

1 Jn 4:6 | ISB Notes

listens to us: i.e., to the apostles (1:3-4).

1 Jn 4:8 | ISB Notes

God is love: God exists as an eternal act of love, with the Father, Son, and Spirit giving themselves to one another in an everlasting embrace. This love of the Trinity, which has its eternal source in the Father, spills over into history through the sacrificial love of the Son (Rom 5:8) and the sanctifying love of the Spirit (Rom 5:5). For John, we can be sure that God lives in us if we love others as God loves—genuinely, sacrificially, unconditionally. In this way, God’s trinitarian love is reflected on earth as it is in heaven (CCC 221). See note on Jn 14:31.

1 Jn 4:9 | ISB Notes

his only-begotten Son: The Greek can refer either to the “divine generation” of the Son or to his “uniqueness”. Both senses may be intended, for neither is exclusive of the other (Jn 1:18) (CCC 444).

1 Jn 4:10 | ISB Notes

expiation: An atoning sacrifice for sin.

See word study: Expiation at 1 Jn 2:2.

1 Jn 4:12 | ISB Notes

has ever seen God: The divine essence of God is invisible spirit (Jn 4:24). His divine love, however, is made visible in the humanity and mission of Jesus (Jn 14:9) and in the selfless charity of his followers (Jn 13:35; CCC 516). .

1 Jn 4:18 | ISB Notes

love casts out fear: The more we love God and one another, the more our ability to love increases and the closer we draw to the Source of love (4:7). Over time, the exercise of charity instills a sense of moral security that expels anxiety about our fate at the final Judgment (2:28; 4:17).

1 Jn 4:19 | ISB Notes

because he first loved us: The love we receive from God gives us the capacity to return his love and spread it to others. So what was impossible for sinners alienated from God’s love is now possible because of God’s initiative and forgiveness (4:10, 21). True love, John is saying, originates, not in the human heart, but in God (Rom 5:5) (CCC 604, 733).