1 John 4:1–6: Testing the Spirits by Confessing Christ
John commands readers to test the spirits, and he supplies the test: a confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Assurance rests not in our sharp judgment but in the one who is greater and already in us.
1 John 4:1–6: Test the Spirits
John does not tell God's people to accept every spiritual claim, nor to treat every outsider with contempt. He gives a specific test centered on who Jesus is, and he grounds the outcome in God's own greater presence.