1 John 4:2
New International Version
This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

New Living Translation
This 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.

English Standard Version
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Berean Standard Bible
By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Berean Literal Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh is of God,

King James Bible
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

New King James Version
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

New American Standard Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

NASB 1995
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

NASB 1977
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

Legacy Standard Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Amplified Bible
By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source];

Christian Standard Bible
This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

American Standard Version
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Spirit of God is known by this: every spirit who confesses that Yeshua The Messiah has come in the flesh is from God.

Contemporary English Version
and you can know which ones come from God. His Spirit says that Jesus Christ had a truly human body.

Douay-Rheims Bible
By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God:

English Revised Version
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every person who declares that Jesus Christ has come as a human has the Spirit that is from God.

Good News Translation
This is how you will be able to know whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a human being has the Spirit who comes from God.

International Standard Version
This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus the Messiah has become human—and remains so—is from God.

Literal Standard Version
In this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh, it is of God,

Majority Standard Bible
By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

New American Bible
This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God,

NET Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God,

New Revised Standard Version
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

New Heart English Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

Webster's Bible Translation
By this ye know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ hath come in the flesh, is from God:

Weymouth New Testament
The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God,

World English Bible
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

Young's Literal Translation
in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Testing the Spirits
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.…

Cross References
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

1 John 1:2
And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

1 John 2:23
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

1 John 4:15
If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 5:1
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.

2 John 1:7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.


Treasury of Scripture

Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

Every.

1 John 5:1
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

John 16:13-15
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come…

1 Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

come.

1 John 4:3
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.

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Timothy 3:16
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

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1 John 4
1. He warns them not to believe all who boast of the Spirit;
7. and exhorts to brotherly love.














Verse 2. - This verso contains the main subject of the section. To confess the Incarnation is to prove that one draws one's inspiration from God through his Spirit. Know ye; or, recognize ye γινώσκετε, may be either imperative, in harmony with "believe" and "prove" (verse 1), or indicative, in harmony with "we know" (1 John 3:16, [19,] 24).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
By
Ἐν (En)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

this
τούτῳ (toutō)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

you will know
γινώσκετε (ginōskete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Spirit
Πνεῦμα (Pneuma)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

of God:
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

Every
πᾶν (pan)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

spirit
πνεῦμα (pneuma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

that
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

confesses [that]
ὁμολογεῖ (homologei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3670: From a compound of the base of homou and logos; to assent, i.e. Covenant, acknowledge.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦν (Iēsoun)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

Christ
Χριστὸν (Christon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

has come
ἐληλυθότα (elēlythota)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] flesh
σαρκὶ (sarki)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4561: Flesh, body, human nature, materiality; kindred.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

God,
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.


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NT Letters: 1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit (1J iJ 1Jn i jn 1 jo)
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