The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 106

EXPOSITION, CHAPTER IV. and "prove" (ver. 1), or inrlicntive, in harmony with" we know" (eh. iii. 16, [19,] Ver. 1-<lh. v. 12.-(2) The rource of 80ft• 24). • ship. Posse1,sion of the Spirit. 'Ver. R.-Every spirit (not so much the Yers. 1-6.-Confession of the Incarna- personal teacher as the princi pie or tendency tion is the assurance that the Spirit of God, of the doctrine) whioh oonfesseth not Jesus. who is the Spirit of truth, is worling in ns, This is the true reading, the words Xp«rrbv and not the spirit of error. The passage iv IT"f'KI l>..71>..uB,l-ra being a spurious addition seems clearlv to teach that there are two from ver. l. As so often, St. John states riVR.l infl.neri'ces contending for power over the case both negatively and positively for the spirits of men. We must test men's emphasis. There ie an ancient variant spirits to see whether they are organs of the reading of much interest, probably of Le.tin Spirit of truth or of the spirit of error. origin, which can be traced back to the Ver.1.-Beloved(as inch. ii. 28 andiii.18, second century, being known to Tertullio.n the apostle again breaks out with a personal and Irenmus. For ,,_:i, di,o>..o-y,i Tbv '1710-o~v appeal i.Jlto an earnest exhortation suggested it gives >,.,I., Tbv 'I71uoiiv, solvit Jesum. This by the statement just ms.de), prove the corruption of the text was evidently aimed spirits (ooKi,u}.(er• .,... =•t1p.a.Ta.). "The at those who distinguished the man Jesus spirits" are principles and tendencies in from the Divine Christ, and thus "dis- religion : these need to be tested, for earnest- solved" his Personality. The Greek manu- ness and fervour are no gnarantee of truth. scripts are quite unanimous against the .And to test these principles is the duty of reading. Is not of God; and therefore is of the individual Christian as well as of the the evil one (see on eh. iii. 10). Those Church in its official capacity. Just as professedly Christian teachers are ever every Athenie.n was subjected to an ex- among the most dangerous who treat the amination (001<,µaala) as to his origin u.nd Divinity of Jesus Christ o.s more or less of character before he could hold office. so the an open question, or as a matter of indif- spirit of every religious teacher mnst be ference. Tb Tov bn xp[uTou probably means examined before his teaching can be ac- "the spirit of antichrist," understanding cepted. This is no useless precaution ; .,.,,,vp.a. from the preceding clause rather because, o.s Christ has come forth (l£,>..11>..v6•) than (quite vagnely) "the characterietio of from God (John xvL 28; comp. John viii antichrist" (see on eh. ii. 18, to which 42; xiii 3; xvi. 27), many false prophets passage, however, lt1<711<oaT• does not refer, have come forth ( l~•>..71>..6Ba,n) from the spirit but to Christian teo.ching in general). And of error. But perhll.ps "have gone forth now it is in the world already. This ie o.n into tbe world" mP.ans no more than" have independent statement; St. John cloes not displayed themselves" in publicum pro- say that they had heard this previously. dieTunt. There is probably no reference to Ver. 4.-Ye are of God. The flp.,is is in the fuli<e teo.chere having " gone forth from emphatic opposition to the false teachers w" (eh. ii 19). Besides Cerinthus and (comp. eh. ii.'.20). TJ1ey are on one side, otl1er Gnostiel;, there were the Nicolaitanee, and the apostle's readers on the other, and estrologers, professors of magic, o.nd dealers it is from this standpoint that they are to iu charms, some of which seem to have had " prove the spirits." St. John knows nothing their origin in Ephesus, for they were known of any neutral position from which tho Spirit o.s "Ephesian letters." Apollonius of Tyana of truth and the spirit of e1·ror can be criti- w:ui eagerly welcomed at Ephesus, and it is cized "with absolute impartiality." "He not impossible that his visit took place that is not with me is against me." Thie during St. John's lifetime. assumed neutral position is o.lready within Ver. 2.-This verse contains the mnin the domain of error. Ye have overoome subject -0£. the section, To confess the fo. them. "Them" means the folse teachers; curuation is to prove that one •ira we one's but in what sense have St. John's "litllo iw;piro.tion from God throng!:. liis Spirit. children" overcome them? He may he lrnow ye ; or, recognize 11e (-y,vt:.uKt'T< ), may be speaking by anticipation; confident of tlrn (,i ther imperali ve, in harmony with "believe" victory, he writes of it as o.n. ll,ccomplishcd  on. IV. 1-21.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENEnAL OF ,JOHN. 103