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1 John 4:16 and the Other Verses of 1 John 4

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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”

Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively.  Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This webpage could be periodically updated.  If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated.  Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.  

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Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.  

When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:  

“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Note:  The heart refers to the mind.  

It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:  

“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”

It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:  

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”

A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned.  In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher.  Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:  

If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship:  whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living.  As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.

Note:  Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites.  Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM].  The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges.  The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity.  The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness.  In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human.  When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god.  Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.  

The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind.  In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests.  The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:  

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession.  Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:  

Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:  

Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.  Also, it is still much more evident:  that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life.  Indeed, it is attested:  “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”

Note:  The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah.  Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body.  The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.  

Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest.  In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family.  Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:  

However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE.  You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Note:  Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people.  In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people.  The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23.  In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.  

Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Put succinctly:  itʼs the message rather than the messenger.  In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:  

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that.  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God.”

*Note:  The word says is in the Greek historical present tense.  By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.  

Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:  

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  It is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur.  The Feast of Trumpets was one of the seven feasts that the Israelites were supposed to celebrate each year under the regulations of the Mosaic Law.  The term Mosaic Law refers to the laws communicated by Moses to the ancient Israelites.  Because Moses communicated those laws, they are known collectively as the Mosaic Law.  The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law by being judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled the Mosaic Law, no believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are under the regulations of the Mosaic Law.  

While it is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur—which is referenced as a single day in Leviticus 23:24–25 and Numbers 29:1–6 and which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during the time period of October 10th, 2026, at 11:13 A.M. – October 14th, 2026, at 12:29 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur during a time other than the time of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah.  Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur during the time of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah, one can be prepared for that time because of already being in the habit of being prepared.  Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.  

Whether the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah in 2026 would occur during October depends on whether barley crop in Israel in 2026 was first in a status known as abib [ah-BEEB] (also known as aviv [ah-VEEV]) in April.  Also, if barley crop in Israel in 2026 was first in a status known as abib/aviv in February, then the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would have occurred during the time period of August 12th, 2026, at 12:25 P.M. – August 16th, 2026, at 1:49 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone, and if barley crop in Israel in 2026 was first in a status known as abib/aviv in March, then the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would have occurred during the time period of September 10th, 2026, at 11:51 A.M. – September 14th, 2026, at 1:08 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.  On which day and at what time in August, September, or October the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would start depends on the time of the last sunset over Jerusalem before the first sliver of a crescent new moon after that sunset.  The crescent new moon is the illumination of a sliver of the waxing moon.  The moon is waxing when it is becoming more and more illuminated after what some people refer to as the astronomical new moon, the time when there is an absence of illumination of the moon—in other words, when there is an absence of reflection of light from the moon.  On which day and at what time in August, September, or October the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah would end depends on whether the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah lasts one day or two days and whether the time of day of the end of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah is at sunset, at the end of civil twilight, at the end of nautical twilight, or at the end of astronomical twilight.  

Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:  

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.  Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:51–52

Behold, I tell you a mystery:  we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.

After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation.  The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation.  1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic.  In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.  

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night.  While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.  However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day.  We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober.  Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.  However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.  Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Note:  In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent.  In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context.  Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!”  In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness.  The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture.  In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation.  Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The verse of the day for September 15th is 1 John 4:16.  The book 1 John, which can also be written with a Roman numeral as I John, is also known as “The First Epistle of John” and “The First Letter of John.”  The book 1 John was written by the apostle John.  He also wrote The Gospel According to John, The Second Epistle of John, The Third Epistle of John, and The Revelation to John.  Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to 1 John 4.  

Note:  In 1 John 4:1 are two inflected forms of the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek noun πνεῦμα [pronounced PNYOO-mah—the sound that the consonant P makes is pronounced—and transliterated as pneuma].  The first inflected form of πνεῦμα in 1 John 4:1 is singular; that inflected form is πνεύματι [pronounced PNYOO-mah-tee and transliterated as pneumati].  The second form of πνεῦμα in 1 John 4:1 is plural; that inflected form is πνεύματα [pronounced PNYOO-mah-tah and transliterated as pneumata].  The Koine Greek noun πνεῦμα can be translated into English in a variety of ways, including as “breath,” “wind,” “Spirit” [referring to God the Holy Spirit], and “spirit” [referring either to an angel or a believerʼs essence that involves thinking of Bible doctrine].  In addition, πνεῦμα can refer to the influence that governs the thinking of people.  Sometimes, the contexts of Bible verses make clear how the noun πνεῦμα should be translated, and sometimes, the contexts of Bible verses are such that the precise translation of πνεῦμα remains uncertain.  

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Note:  The word Beloved in 1 John 4:1 is an indicator that the original recipients of this letter from John were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Regarding πνεύματι [PNYOO-mah-tee], which is an inflected form of πνεῦμα [PNYOO-mah], we can use the context of 1 John 4:1 to try to determine the appropriate translation.  There are no references to breathing or the wind in 1 John 3 or 1 John 4.  Instead, 1 John 3 and 1 John 4 contain references to the attitudes of people and of the Trinity.  Such an awareness helps narrow down the possible translations for the two inflected forms of πνεῦμα in 1 John 4:1.  

Regarding the inflected form πνεύματι, which is singular, translating that word as “spirit” with a lowercase s is logical because the phrase preceding the word spirit is do not believe every.  It would be illogical to use that phrase in reference to God the Holy Spirit because there is only one God the Holy Spirit and the word every is a reference to more than one spirit.  Also, one of the ten characteristics of the essence of the Trinity is veracity, which is truthfulness.  Because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are truthful, it is unnecessary for John to tell anyone to disbelieve God the Holy Spirit.  

Regarding the translation spirit with a lowercase s, 1 John 3 and 1 John 4 contain zero references to elect angels and zero references to fallen angels; therefore, it is logical to conclude that the translation spirit refers to something other than an angel.  Regarding a believerʼs essence that involves thinking of Bible doctrine, that thinking involves the truth; therefore, the word spirit must refer to something other than a believerʼs essence that involves thinking of Bible doctrine because the word spirit is preceded by the phrase do not believe every.  That leaves us with a translation referring to the influence that governs the thinking of people.  Indeed, 1 John 4 has content that involves refraining from allowing oneʼs thinking to be influenced by false ideas.  It is in that sense that πνεύματι in 1 John 4:1 should be translated.

Moving on to πνεύματα [PNYOO-mah-tah], which is plural, the same logic that applies to the use of πνεύματι in 1 John 4:1 also applies to πνεύματα.  With that in mind, translating πνεύματα as “spirits” with a lowercase s at the beginning of the word is logical.  In that regard, πνεύματα in 1 John 4:1 refers to the influences that govern the thinking of people.  The fact that πνεύματα is plural calls attention to the fact that there are various types of false ideas that can affect the thinking of people.  

With the foregoing analysis in mind, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ must be alert so as to refrain from believing false ideas.  Indeed, believers need to take action in order to determine whether ideas are false and whether those who communicate ideas are deceivers.  That action involves the Koine Greek verb δοκιμάζετε [pronounced dah-kee-MAH-dzeh-teh and transliterated as dokimazete], which is an inflected form of the root word δοκιμάζω [pronounced dah-kee-MAH-dzoh and transliterated as dokimazō].  That word refers to testing/examining/scrutinizing in order to determine whether something is genuine or not.  The Koine Greek verb δοκιμάζω [dah-kee-MAH-dzoh] is derived from the Koine Greek adjective δόκιμος [pronounced DAH-kee-mahs and transliterated as dokimos].  That adjective refers to something acceptable or approved.  It was particularly used to refer to money in the form of coins that were considered acceptable or approved after those coins had been assayed in order to determine whether they were genuine.  The English word assay refers to testing a metal or ore in order to determine its ingredients and the quality thereof.  The Koine Greek adjective δόκιμος [DAH-kee-mahs] could also be used metaphorically in a broader sense than the context of coins; therefore, it could be used in reference to people and ideas.  Similarly, the Koine Greek verb δοκιμάζω [dah-kee-MAH-dzoh] can be used to refer to testing/examining/scrutinizing for the purpose of determining whether a person or idea is genuine or not.  With that in mind, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should test/examine/scrutinize the ideas about which the believer becomes aware.  How does one test/examine/scrutinize ideas?  One should analyze them in the context of the Word of God.  That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did.  Those verses reference the apostle Paul and his associate Silas preaching in Berea.  In that regard, below is content of Acts 17:10–12.  

Acts 17:10–12

The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.  Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.

Note:  The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”  

Getting back to 1 John 4:1, the false prophets might be literal false prophets or metaphorical false prophets referring to spreaders of false ideas.  Either way, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from believing the ideas of literal false prophets and metaphorical false prophets.  Also, the content of 1 John 4:1 indicates that there are many false prophets in the world.  

In verses 1, 3, 4, and 5 of 1 John 4, the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “world” refers to an organized system.  In particular, it refers to the devilʼs organized system by means of which he rules the world.  In that regard, some people use the term cosmos diabolicus [KAHZ-mahs digh-uh-BAHL-ih-kuhs] to refer to the devilʼs system for ruling the world.  Cosmos diabolicus can also be referred to as the cosmic system.  The root form of that Koine Greek noun that is found in verses 1, 3, 4, and 5 of 1 John 4 is κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  In verse 1, the inflected form of κόσμος is κόσμον [pronounced KAHS-mahn and transliterated as kosmon].  

The content of 1 John 4:1 is repeated below for reference.  

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 John 4:2

By this, you know the spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses/acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 

Note:  The content of 1 John 4:2–3 refers to recognizing whether or not people are acknowledging that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior.  In this verse, the phrase the spirit of God refers to an influence that governs the thinking of people.  In the context of this verse, that influence is the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life.  

In this verse, the phrase every spirit also refers to an influence that governs the thinking of people.  That reference to an influence that governs the thinking of people involves personification of that influence as thought that influence is doing the confessing/acknowledging.  Also, that personification involves metonymy [meh-TAHN-uh-mee], which is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another word or phrase with which the substituting word or phrase is closely associated.  In that regard, a believer who acknowledges that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior is referenced in this verse by means of a reference to the influence that that believer can have on the thinking of people.  Such influence occurs by means of that believer sharing the gospel.  Every communication in which the gospel is shared is a communication that is from God the Father.  Likewise, every person who shares the gospel is from God the Father—in other words, that person is working for God the Father at the moment that that person is sharing the gospel.  

The content of 1 John 4:2 is repeated below for reference.  

1 John 4:2

By this, you know the spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses/acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 

1 John 4:3

and every spirit that does not confess/acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is that of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Note:  In 1 John 4:3, the word that refers to the spirit that does not confess/acknowledge Jesus—in other words, the influence that governs the thinking of people and that influences people to not confess/acknowledge Jesus.  As with the content of verse 2 involving personification and metonymy related to an influence that governs the thinking of people, so also the content of verse 3 involves personification and metonymy related to an influence that governs the thinking of people.  As mentioned in the notes for verse 2, metonymy is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted for another word or phrase with which the substituting word or phrase is closely associated.  In that regard, a person who does not acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior is referenced in this verse by means of a reference to the influence that that person can have on the thinking of people.  Such influence occurs by means of that person communicating something false.  

If what a person is communicating about the Lord Jesus Christ involves something that denies that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior, then a believer can know that what that person is communicating about the Lord Jesus Christ is something other than the Word of God.  Such a person who is communicating something false could be either an unbeliever or a believer.  If that person who is communicating something false is a believer, then that believer is not working for God the Father at that moment.  In that regard, such a believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity and not filled wilt the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

Also, the context of this verse is such that the Antichrist with a capital A is the person who is referenced in this verse by means of the Koine Greek noun Ἀντιχρίστου [pronounced ahn-tee-KHREE-stoo and transliterated as Antichristou].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word ἀντίχριστος [pronounced ahn-TEE-khree-stahs and transliterated as antichristos].  In that regard, the Antichrist is a man who wants people to believe that he is the savior rather than believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior.  Also, the Antichrist is the man who is the king of the West during the Tribulation.  

The Tribulation is the seven-year period that will occur after the Rapture of Church Age believers.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  The Rapture will occur at the end of the Church Age.  

Regarding the Church Age, after the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  

In addition to being known as the the king of the West, the Antichrist is also known as the beast and the first beast.  Supporting the Antichrist is the false prophet.  The false prophet is also known as the second beast.  Content related to the Antichrist being referred to as the first beast is in Revelation 13:1–12.  The content of Revelation 13:11–18 references the false prophet.  

The Tribulation will end with the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On that occasion, the Antichrist and the false prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire.  The content of Revelation 19:20 covers that topic.  

The identity of the Antichrist will be revealed during the Tribulation.  While it will be during the Tribulation that the identity of the Antichrist will be revealed, the influence that governs the thinking of people and that influences people to not confess/acknowledge Jesus is already in the world.  In 1 John 4:3, the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “world” is κόσμῳ [pronounced KAHS-moh and transliterated as kosmō].  As mentioned in the notes for verse 1, that noun is an inflected form of the root word κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  Regarding the false prophet, just as there will be multiple antichrists with a lowercase a before the existence of the Antichrist with a capital A, so also there will be multiple false prophets before the existence of the false prophet who works for the Antichrist.  In that regard, multiple false prophets are referenced in 1 John 4:1.  

1 John 4:4

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world.

Note:  In 1 John 4:4, the phrase little children refers to the apostle Johnʼs nonresident congregation.  He communicated with that congregation via his written messages.  Also, the term little children was a kind way for a teacher to address students.  The Koine Greek noun that is translated as “little children” in this verse is τεκνία [pronounced tek-NEE-ah and transliterated as teknia].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word τεκνίον [pronounced tek-NEE-ahn and transliterated as teknion].  

In this verse, the pronoun He with a capital H and the pronoun Who with a capital W refer to God the Holy Spirit.  In contrast, the pronoun he with a lowercase h and the pronoun who with a lowercase w refer to people who communicate something false.  The Koine Greek noun that is translated as “world” in this verse is κόσμῳ [pronounced KAHS-moh and transliterated as kosmō].  As mentioned in the notes for verse 1, that noun is an inflected form of the root word κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  

1 John 4:5

They are from the world; therefore, they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

Note:  In 1 John 4:5, the first two instances of the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “world” are κόσμου [pronounced KAHS-moo and transliterated as kosmou].  That noun is an inflected form of the root word κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  The third instance of the Koine Greek noun that is translated as “world” in 1 John 4:5 is κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  That noun is also an inflected form of the root word κόσμος [pronounced KAHS-mahs and transliterated as kosmos].  

Speaking from the world means speaking according to the viewpoint of the world.  The viewpoint of the world can be referred to as human viewpoint.  The term human viewpoint refers to any viewpoint that deviates from the Word of God.  In contrast, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint of the Trinity.  All three Members of the Trinity have the same viewpoint.  Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can learn divine viewpoint by learning the Word of God.  Therefore, divine viewpoint is the viewpoint that comes from a proper understanding of the Word of God.  With human-viewpoint thinking, a person has unrealistic expectations regarding life.  Such a person is divorced from reality.  

Regarding human viewpoint, at the moment of salvation, a believer still has garbage in his or her subconscious.  The garbage in the subconscious is the human viewpoint that has been metaphorically programmed into the thinking of a person.  After salvation, a believer can also accumulate garbage in the subconscious of that believer.  Because people express what they think, the saying “garbage in, garbage out” is applicable to an unbeliever, and it is also applicable to a believer to the extent that that believer has human viewpoint remaining in that believerʼs thinking.  That saying can also be abbreviated as GIGO [pronounced GIGH-goh or GEE-goh or GIH-goh].  

During time periods that involve information generated by computers, the expression “garbage in, garbage out” is applicable to information generated by those computers.  In that regard, the abbreviation AI, which is used to represent the term artificial intelligence, ironically refers to artificial idiocy when those computers output garbage.  The garbage output by computers referred to as AI can be referred to as AI slop.  The content of AI slop involves misrepresentations, including, for example, images that do not represent reality, video content that does not represent reality, audio content that does not represent reality, and wording that involves falsehoods.  The misrepresentations that are in AI slop can cause a personʼs thinking to be molded by human viewpoint that is in that AI slop.  

People can deliberately input false information into computer systems that some people categorize as AI, thereby manipulating those computer systems.  Such inputting of false information can be referred to as poisoning.  For example, one type of computer system that some people categorize as AI is known as a large language model (LLM), which is a computer program into which a large quantity of data is inputted and which can be interacted with by means of giving commands that involve human language and which outputs information in a form that mimics human language.  Because the data that goes into LLMs can come from content that is available on webpages, people can input false information into LLMs by putting false information on webpages that are used as data sources for those LLMs.  The putting of false information on webpages for the purpose of inputting false information into LLMs is known as LLM grooming.  The people who do LLM grooming can thereby try to mold peopleʼs thinking so as to influence them to think in terms of human viewpoint.  

In order to make use of the divine viewpoint that a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has learned, the believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  Once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  

The content of 1 John 4:1–5 calls attention to the necessity of being alert so as to apply discernment from the Word of God in order to avoid succumbing to the trickery of those who express human viewpoint.  Regarding being alert, levels of alertness can be categorized in terms of a mindset color code that involves four colors.  The mindset color code describes states of awareness.  The mindset color code can be utilized for matters outside oneself; for example, the color code can be applied to both physical dangers and also to the dangers of stumbling blocks that can lead a Christian to sin.  Also, the color code can be utilized introspectively with regard to the temptations that can originate from oneʼs old sin nature (OSN).  The old sin nature, which is referenced in Ephesians 4:22 with the term old man, can also be referred to as the sin nature.  It is also referenced using the word flesh in Ephesians 2:3 and Galatians 5:16.  The content of Romans 6:6 associates the sin nature with peopleʼs bodies, and the content of Romans 7:17–18 references the sin nature being in peopleʼs bodies.  Adam and Ishshah [ish-SHAW] (the name of Eve before Adam renamed her Eve) were created without old sin natures, and they acquired old sin natures when they sinned.  All other human beings have been conceived.  Only the Lord Jesus Christ was conceived without an old sin nature.  All the other humans that were conceived have been conceived with old sin natures.  Likewise, all humans in the future will be conceived, and the conceiving of each of them will involve each of them receiving an old sin nature at the moment that each of them will be conceived.  With regard to being alert, below are the conditions of alertness of the mindset color code and descriptions of them.  

In 1 John 4:5, the phrase the world listens to them refers to those who think in terms of human viewpoint believing the falsehoods spread by deceivers.  In the context of 1 John 4, those who think in terms of human viewpoint can refer to believers who are out of fellowship with the Trinity and thereby without the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit and can also refer to unbelievers.  Both believers out of fellowship with the Trinity and unbelievers are fooled by human viewpoint.  

The content of 1 John 4:5 is repeated below for reference.  

1 John 4:5

They are from the world; therefore, they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

1 John 4:6

We are from God.  He who knows God listens to us.  He who is not from God does not listen to us.  By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Note:  Unspecified is to whom in addition to the apostle John the pronoun We in 1 John 4:6 refers.  From the context, that pronoun refers to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The ones knowing God are believers who study and obey the Word of God.  

In this verse, those not listening are unbelievers.  Unspecified is what the unbelievers refrain from listening to.  Because unbelievers listen to the good news of eternal life through believing that the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, and because that good news is the gospel, unbelievers listen to the gospel.  Because unbelievers listen to the gospel, whatever John is referencing when he mentions the unbelievers not listening, that to which the unbelievers refrain from listening is content of the Word of God other than the gospel.  Also, there can be believers who refrain from listening to the Word of God.  In that regard, rather than the content of 1 John 4:6 indicating that everyone who refrains from listening to the Word of God is an unbeliever, the content of this verse indicates that all unbelievers refrain from listening to content of the Word of God other than the gospel.  

The phrase spirit of truth in 1 John 4:6 refers to divine viewpoint.  Also, the phrase spirit of error in this verse refers to human viewpoint.  The people who are uninterested in listening to the Word of God are people who think in terms of human viewpoint, and the fact that such people are uninterested in listening to the Word of God is an indicator that those people think in terms of human viewpoint.  

1 John 4:7

Beloved, let us exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward one another, for benevolence/goodwill is from God, and everyone who exhibits benevolence/goodwill is born [or begotten] of God and knows God.

Note:  Rather than this meaning that a person who exhibits benevolence/goodwill becomes born/begotten of God, this verse indicates that the only people who exhibit benevolence/goodwill are those who are born of God—in other words, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In that regard, for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to exhibit benevolence/goodwill, the believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  Also, the phrase and knows God refers to the fact that a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ must learn the Word of God in order to exhibit benevolence/goodwill.  

1 John 4:8

The one who does not exhibit benevolence/goodwill has not come to know God, for God is benevolence/goodwill.

Note:  A person who refrains from exhibiting benevolence/goodwill is a person who thinks according to human viewpoint.  A person who thinks according to human viewpoint is unfamiliar with the characteristics of God the Father.  In that regard, such a person does not know God the Father.  

The context of 1 John 4 involves false communicators who have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior.  Such people have not come to know God the Father.  Likewise, people who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior but then have not learned the Word of God after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior have not come to know God the Father.  Therefore, the content of this verse either references unbelievers only or references unbelievers and also believers who have not learned the Word of God after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior.  

1 John 4:9

By this, the benevolence/goodwill of God was manifested in us [or in our case], that God has sent His only begotten [uniquely born] Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

Note:  God the Father sent God the Son to be the Human Jesus Christ for the purpose of being judged for the sins of humanity so that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as the Savior will have eternal life.  It is worth noting that absent from 1 John 4:9 is any reference whatsoever to the works of the people receiving eternal life.  All of the work for eternal life was done by the Lord Jesus Christ when He was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity.  A person receives that eternal life as a free gift by believing that Jesus Christ is the Savior—in other words, by believing that He was judged for the sins of humanity.  

1 John 4:10

In this is benevolence/goodwill—not that we exhibited benevolence/goodwill toward God but that He exhibited benevolence/goodwill toward us and sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our sins.

Note:  The word Propitiation refers to God the Father being satisfied by the Lord Jesus Christʼs judgment on the cross for the sins of humanity.  

1 John 4:11

Beloved, if God so exhibited benevolence/goodwill toward us—and He did indeed exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward us—we also ought to exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward one another.

Note:  In Koine Greek, there are four classes of conditions.  In the translation of 1 John 4:11, the type of if is called a first-class condition.  The first-class condition in this verse involves the Koine Greek conjunction εἰ [pronounced AY and transliterated as ei] followed by a Koine Greek verb in the indicative mood.  That Koine Greek verb is ἠγάπησεν [pronounced ay-GAH-pay-sen and transliterated as ēgapēsen].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word ἀγαπάω [pronounced ah-gah-PAH-oh and transliterated as agapaō].  

1 John 4:12

No one has seen God at any time.  If we exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward one another, God abides in us, and His benevolence/goodwill has been fulfilled/accomplished/matured in us.

Note:  The phrase No one has seen God at any time refers to the fact that God the Father had not appeared in the presence of people on earth.  In the translation of 1 John 4:12, the type of if is called a third-class condition.  A third-class condition involves a usage of the word if to refer to what is possible or to what is hypothetical.  As used in 1 John 4:12, the word if refers to the possibility that a believer will exhibit benevolence/goodwill or will refrain from exhibiting benevolence/goodwill.  The third-class condition in this verse involves the Koine Greek conjunction ἐὰν [pronounced eh-AHN and transliterated as ean] followed by a Koine Greek verb in the subjunctive mood.  The subjunctive mood is used to express what is other than 100% certain.  The conjunction ἐὰν is an inflected form of the root word ἐάν [pronounced eh-AHN and transliterated as ean].  The verb in the subjunctive mood is ἀγαπῶμεν [pronounced ah-gah-POH-mehn and transliterated as agapōmen].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word ἀγαπάω [pronounced ah-gah-PAH-oh and transliterated as agapaō].  

The phrase God abides in us refers to God the Father having fellowship with believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  If a believer refrains from exhibiting benevolence/goodwill, then that believer is sinning and therefore out of fellowship with the Trinity.  In that regard, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1.  Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30.  In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit.  Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19.  In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer.  After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.  Also, if a believer is exhibiting benevolence/goodwill, then that believer is in fellowship with the Trinity and filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit because it is impossible to truly exhibit benevolence/goodwill without being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

Regarding the phrase His benevolence/goodwill in 1 John 4:12, the benevolence/goodwill in the thinking of a believer is the result of the Word of God being in the thinking of that believer.  The Word of God is of course God the Fatherʼs Word.  God the Fatherʼs Word is a revelation of God the Fatherʼs thinking.  Because benevolence/goodwill is an aspect of the thinking of God the Father, any benevolence/goodwill in the thinking of a believer is benevolence/goodwill that comes from the thinking of God the Father.  The believer is the one who is doing the thinking that involves benevolence/goodwill that is referenced in this verse, but that way of thinking originated from God the Father.  Because the way of thinking that involves benevolence/goodwill originated from God the Father, the benevolence/goodwill in the thinking of a believer is God the Fatherʼs benevolence/goodwill.  

The fulfilling/accomplishing/maturing of benevolence/goodwill refers to being unselfish more and more frequently.  In order to be unselfish more and more frequently, a believer must learn more and more of the Word of God while in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and then obey the Word of God that the believer has learned.  In order to obey the Word of God that the believer has learned, that believer must be in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  

The Koine Greek phrase that is translated as “has been fulfilled/accomplished/matured” in 1 John 4:12 is τετελειωμένη ἐστιν [pronounced teh-teh-lay-oh-MEH-nay EH-steen and transliterated as teteleiōmenē estin].  The word teteleiōmenē is a verb, and that verb is an inflected form of the root word τελειόω [pronounced teh-lay-AH-oh and transliterated as teleioō].  The word ἐστιν is also a verb, and that verb is an inflected form of the root word εἰμί [pronounced ay-MEE and transliterated as eimi].  

In this verse, the form of the verb teleioō is a perfect passive participle, and the form of the verb eimi is a present active indicative.  Together, those two verbs indicate not only God the Fatherʼs benevolence/goodwill having been fulfilled/accomplished/matured but also that God the Fatherʼs benevolence/goodwill continues.  Of course, when a believer stops exhibiting benevolence/goodwill toward other believers, God the Fatherʼs benevolence/goodwill is no longer fulfilled/accomplished/matured in that believer.  In that regard, when a believer stops exhibiting benevolence/goodwill toward other believers, the maturing process of that believer is discontinued.  With regard to the maturing process, rather than such a believer metaphorically moving forward in spiritual growth, such a believer is metaphorically moving backward, becoming more and more spiritually immature and thereby reverting more and more to acting like an unbeliever.  In that regard, a believer who remains out of fellowship with the Trinity eventually becomes a reversionist.  Being a reversionistic believer is known as being involved in reversionism.  

Regarding the phrase teteleiōmenē estin [teh-teh-lay-oh-MEH-nay EH-steen], the exhibiting of benevolence/goodwill by a believer is a manifestation of the maturing process in which that believer has learned enough of the Word of God to exhibit benevolence/goodwill.  Regarding a believerʼs maturing process insofar as benevolence/goodwill is concerned, unspecified in the Bible is the amount of the Word of God that a believer needs to be obeying in order for that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill to be mature.  Because unspecified in the Bible is the amount of the Word of God that a believer needs to be obeying in order for that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill to be mature, a believer should focus on obeying the Word of God rather than on whether or not that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill is mature.  

As a believer learns more and more of the Word of God, that believer will recognize human viewpoint that had been in the believerʼs thinking.  As mentioned in the notes for verse 5, the term human viewpoint refers to any viewpoint that deviates from the Word of God.  In contrast, the term divine viewpoint refers to the viewpoint of the Trinity.  All three Members of the Trinity have the same viewpoint.  Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can learn divine viewpoint by learning the Word of God.  Therefore, divine viewpoint is the viewpoint that comes from a proper understanding of the Word of God.  With human-viewpoint thinking, a person has unrealistic expectations regarding life.  Such a person is divorced from reality.  

The human viewpoint that is in a believerʼs thinking and is unnoticed by that believer can also be referred to as hidden areas of arrogance in that believerʼs thinking.  A hidden area of arrogance can also be referred to as a hidden area of selfishness.  As a believer learns more and more of the Word of God, that believer will recognize more and more hidden areas of arrogance that had been in that believerʼs thinking.  When that believer recognizes hidden areas of arrogance and refrains from thinking in terms of the arrogance that that believer has come to recognize, that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill will become more and more mature.  

The content of 1 John 4:12 is repeated below for reference.  

1 John 4:12

No one has seen God at any time.  If we exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward one another, God abides in us, and His benevolence/goodwill has been fulfilled/accomplished/matured in us.

1 John 4:13

By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.

Note:  Because the condition of a believer being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit is different than the condition of a believer without the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit, the believer can notice the difference between himself or herself being in fellowship with the Trinity and out of fellowship with the Trinity.  

1 John 4:14

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Note:  In 1 John 4:14, the word We refers to believers.  

1 John 4:15

Whoever confesses/acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.

Note:  The content of 1 John 4:14 provides context for the content of 1 John 4:15.  In that regard, the content of verse 14 involves believers telling people that God the Son is the Savior, and the content of verse 15 involves believers telling people that Jesus is God the Son.  Therefore, the content of verse 15 involves believers telling people that Jesus is the Savior.  

Also, regarding the word abides in verse 15, the content of verses 12 and 13 provides context.  In that regard, the word abides in verse 12 and the word abide in verse 13 involve the matter of believers being in fellowship with the Trinity.  Furthermore, John used the word We in verse 14.  As mentioned in the note for verse 14, the usage of that word in verse 14 is a reference to believers.  With regard to the foregoing, the word Whoever in verse 15 refers to believers.  

In addition, rather than the content of 1 John 4:15 indicating that every believer who communicates that Jesus is the Savior is a believer who is in fellowship with the Trinity when that believer is doing that communicating, the content of this verse is instead providing a contrast with the people who claim to be communicating on behalf of God the Father but who refrain from communicating that Jesus is the Savior.  The people who claim to be communicating on behalf of God the Father but who refrain from communicating that Jesus is the Savior can either be unbelievers or be believers out of fellowship with the Trinity.  Also, with regard to people who claim that Jesus is the Savior but who also claim that the means of eternal salvation involves something being added to faith in Jesus as the Savior, the people who make such claims are contradicting themselves because if something is needed to be added to faith alone in Christ alone, then Jesus Himself would be unable to save people, and He would therefore be something like a helper rather than the Savior.  With regard to the matter of eternal salvation, the content of the Bible unequivocally reveals that Jesus is the Savior rather than some mere helper.  A person who claims that Jesus is merely a helper is either a person who is an unbeliever or is a believer who is out of fellowship with the Trinity.  

1 John 4:16

We have come to know and have believed the benevolence/goodwill which God has for/in/toward us.  God is benevolence/goodwill, and the one who abides in benevolence/goodwill abides in God.  Also, God abides in him.

Note:  The content of 1 John 4:16 refers to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who is in fellowship with God the Father.  To be in fellowship with God the Father, a person must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior and then, after committing any sins after salvation, confess/acknowledge to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins.  When a believer has unconfessed sins, that believer is out of fellowship with all three Members of the Trinity.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity is restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  

1 John 4:17

By this, benevolence/goodwill is brought to completion / achieved in the midst of us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because as He is, so also are we in this world.

Note:  The day of judgment for Church Age believers involves the evaluation of Church Age believers after the Rapture.  In that regard, during the time that the Tribulation will be occurring on the earth, Church Age believers will be evaluated by the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is also known as the Bema [BAY-muh] Seat.  That evaluation is referenced in the content of 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 and also in 2 Corinthians 5:10.  Both 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians were epistles from Paul to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  In that regard, the content of those verses refers to believers.  In 1 John 4:17, the phrase as He is refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being in fellowship with God the Father.  The phrase so also are we in this world refers to the fact that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can also be in fellowship with God the Father, even while the believers reside in the world.  

For some chronological context regarding the Church Age, the Rapture, and the Tribulation, below is a synopsis of human history as categorized into time periods known as dispensations.  In the below synopsis, there is the term hypostatic union [high-PUH-stat-ick YOON-yuhn].  This refers to the Lord Jesus Christ being 100% Deity and 100% humanity.  The English word hypostatic is derived from the Koine [KOI-nay] Greek word ὑπόστασις [pronounced hoo-PAH-stah-sees and transliterated as hypostasis].  After the Lord Jesus Christ was judged for the sins of humanity, His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.  He was then resurrected, and He was on the earth for forty days after He was resurrected.  He then ascended to Heaven, and ten days after that, the Day of Pentecost [PEN-tih-kahst] occurred.  The Day of Pentecost was the beginning of the Church Age.  The word Pentecost is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντηκοστή [pronounced pen-tay-kah-STAY and transliterated as pentēkostē].  That word is derived from the Koine Greek word πεντήκοντα [pronounced pen-TAY-kahn-tah and transliterated as pentēkonta], which means “fifty.”  Therefore, the word Pentecost is derived from the fact that that day occurred fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  In that regard, the Church Age began fifty days after the Lord was resurrected.  The Church Age will end with the Rapture.  The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies.  Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies.  Absent from the Bible is anything specifically indicating the precise date and time when the Rapture will occur, although it is possible that the Rapture will occur during the time when the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] would occur—which is referenced as a single day in Leviticus 23:24–25 and Numbers 29:1–6 and which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during the time period of October 10th, 2026, at 11:13 A.M. – October 14th, 2026, at 12:29 P.M. in the Eastern Daylight Time zone.  

Regarding the word judgment, the proper way to spell that word is without an e between the dg and the m.  In that regard, the e of the root word judge is dropped when the suffix ment is added to that root word.  The formation of the word judgment is shown below.  

judge −e +ment

= judg +ment

= judgment

Another way to categorize human history is by means of civilizations.  Civilizations begin only with believers.  Regarding the timing of civilizations and dispensations, the first civilization began with Adam and ended on the occasion of the Great Flood (also known as the Flood).  That civilization is known as the antediluvian civilization and the predulivian civilization.  In that regard, the prefixes ante and pre mean “before.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time before the Flood.  Those spellings include antediluvian, ante-diluvian, prediluvian, and pre-diluvian.  

After the Flood, there were only eight believers on the earth:  Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their sonsʼ wives.  With the removal of the unbelievers from the earth on the occasion of the Flood, a new civilization was started.  That civilization is known as the postdiluvian civilization (also known as the postdiluvial civilization).  Regarding the terminology, the prefix post means “after,” and the adjectives diluvian and diluvial mean “having to do with a flood.”  Also, there are various spellings of the adjectives that refer to the time after the Flood.  Those spellings include postdiluvian, post-diluvian, postdiluvial, and post-diluvial.  The postdiluvian civilization will end on the occasion of the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ.  On the occasion of the Second Advent, the Lord will remove all unbelievers from the earth.  Their removal will be by means of physical death just as the removal of all unbelievers was by means of physical death on the occasion of the Flood.  This is called the Baptism of Fire, which is either a metaphorical description because fire can be used to represent judgment or a literal reference to the use of fire in the judgment of unbelievers on the occasion of the Second Advent.  The Baptism of Fire is referenced in Matthew 3:11–12; Luke 3:15–17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.  

Just as a new civilization started after the Flood, so also a new civilization will start after the Baptism of Fire.  That civilization is called the Millennium.  The Millennium is both a civilization and a dispensation.  The Eternal State is also both a civilization and a dispensation.  

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in benevolence/goodwill, but mature benevolence/goodwill casts out fear, because fear has punishment, and the one who fears has not been matured in benevolence/goodwill.

Note:  If a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ refrains from exhibiting benevolence/goodwill, then that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity and without the power of the filling of God the Holy Spirit.  A believer in such a condition is unable to refrain from being afraid.  In contrast, a believer who is exhibiting benevolence/goodwill is filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit; therefore, such a believer is able to refrain from being afraid.  Such a believer is also, of course, able to choose to be afraid.  Once a believer chooses to be afraid, that believer becomes out of fellowship with the Trinity.  

The Koine Greek adjective that is translated as “mature” in 1 John 4:18 is τελεία [pronounced teh-LAY-ah and transliterated as teleia].  That adjective is an inflected form of the root word τέλειος [pronounced TEH-lay-ahs and transliterated as teleios].  The phrase has not been matured in 1 John 4:18 is translated from two Koine Greek words.  The word not in that phrase is a translation of the Koine Greek word οὐ [pronounced OO and transliterated as ou].  The words has and been matured are a translation of the Koine Greek verb τετελείωται [pronounced teh-teh-LAY-oh-tigh and transliterated as teteleiōtai].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word τελειόω [pronounced teh-lay-AH-oh and transliterated as teleioō].  In this verse, the form of the verb teleioō is perfect indicative.  Because the form of the verb is perfect indicative, the words has and been are used in the translation.  

As mentioned in the notes for verse 12, a believerʼs benevolence/goodwill is matured by means of learning the Word of God.  Also, as mentioned in the notes for verse 12, unspecified in the Bible is the amount of the Word of God that a believer needs to be obeying in order for that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill to be mature.  Because unspecified in the Bible is the amount of the Word of God that a believer needs to be obeying in order for that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill to be mature, a believer should focus on obeying the Word of God rather than on whether or not that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill is mature.  

Regarding fear and the maturing of a believerʼs benevolence/goodwill, a believer whose benevolence/goodwill has been matured by means of a bunch of understanding of the Word of God is better able to deal with temptations to fear than that same believer had been able to do before learning as much of the Word of God.  In that regard, a believer who succumbs to fear will be punished in accordance with the plan of God the Father.  That punishment can involve self-induced misery, and that punishment can involve divine discipline.  The punishment experienced by a believer who succumbs to fear gives that believer an opportunity or opportunities to confess/acknowledge to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins.  When a believer has unconfessed sins, that believer is out of fellowship with the Trinity and no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit.  After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity is restored and the filling power of God the Holy Spirit is restored.  The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  After the believer who had succumbed to fear is back in fellowship with the Trinity and thereby again filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, that believer needs to keep learning more and more of the Word of God in order to make that believerʼs benevolence/goodwill more and more mature.  Because all believers fall short of the perfection of the Trinity, each believer should continue to learn more and more of the Word of God all the way up to the moment that that believer goes to Heaven.  

The content of 1 John 4:18 is repeated below for reference.  

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in benevolence/goodwill, but mature benevolence/goodwill casts out fear, because fear has punishment, and the one who fears has not been matured in benevolence/goodwill.

1 John 4:19

We exhibit benevolence/goodwill because He first exhibited benevolence/goodwill toward us.

1 John 4:20

If someone says, “I love / exhibit benevolence toward / exhibit goodwill toward God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward his brother whom he has seen cannot love / exhibit benevolence toward / exhibit goodwill toward God Whom he has not seen.

Note:  In the context of 1 John 4, the word brother in 1 John 4:20 refers to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Also, in the translation of 1 John 4:20, the type of if is called a third-class condition.  As mentioned in the notes for verse 12, a third-class condition involves a usage of the word if to refer to what is possible or to what is hypothetical.  As used in 1 John 4:20, the word if refers to the possibility that a believer will claim that that believer loves / exhibits benevolence toward / exhibits goodwill toward God while that believer hates a fellow believer.  The third-class condition in this verse involves the Koine Greek conjunction ἐάν [pronounced eh-AHN and transliterated as ean] followed by a Koine Greek verb in the subjunctive mood.  The subjunctive mood is used to express what is other than 100% certain.  The conjunction ἐάν is an inflected form of the root word ἐάν [pronounced eh-AHN and transliterated as ean].  The verb in the subjunctive mood is εἴπῃ [pronounced AY-pay and transliterated as eipē].  That verb is an inflected form of the root word λέγω [pronounced LEH-goh and transliterated as legō].  

1 John 4:21

Also, this command/commandment we have from Him, that the one who exhibits benevolence/goodwill toward God should exhibit benevolence/goodwill toward his brother also.

Sincerely,

John