Beloved, believe not any spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit which confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is that _power_ of the antichrist whereof ye have heard that it cometh, and even now it is in the world already. Ye are of God, children, and have conquered them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore of the world is their manner of speech, and the world heareth them. We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth us, he who is not of God heareth not us. From this we know the spirit of The Truth, and the spirit of the error.
Ch. iv. 1, 7.
Ver. 1. _Believe not any spirit_] μη παντι πνευματι πιστευετε. The different constructions of πιστευειν in St. John must be carefully noted. (_a_) With _dative_ as here--"believe not such an one;" take him not upon trust, at his own word; credit him not with veracity. So in the Gospel, our Lord continually complains that the Jews did not even believe Him on His word--strong and clear as that word was with all the freshness of Heaven, and all the transparency of truth. John v. 38, 46, viii. 45, 46, x. 37.
(_b_) πιστευειν εις = to make an act of faith in, to repose in as divine. John iii. 36, iv. 39, vi. 35, xi. 25; 1 John v. 10.
(_c_) With an _accusative_ = to be persuaded of the thing--to believe it with an implied conviction of permanence in the persuasion--as in the beautiful verse (iv. 16)--"we are fully persuaded of the love of God," we make it the creed of our heart. πεπιστευκαμεν την αγαπην.