1 John 4:1

ἀγαπητοί. See on 1 John 3:2. The tender address once more introduces a matter of deep practical importance: comp. 1 John 3:21.

μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε. This exhortation does not give us the main subject of the section, any more than ‘Marvel not, brethren, if the world hate you’ (1 John 3:12) gave us the main subject of the last section (1 John 3:12-24). In both cases the exhortation is introductory and momentary. Having spoken of the Spirit by which we know that God abides in us, the Apostle goes on to speak of other spiritual influences which indubitably exist, and of which every one has experience, but which are not necessarily of God because they are spiritual. “He does not discredit the fact that spiritual influences were widely diffused; he does not monopolize such influences for the Christian Church. How could he discredit this fact? How can we? Are there not myriads of influences about us continually, which do not act upon our senses but upon our spirits, which do not proceed from things which may be seen and handled, but from the spirits of men? (Maurice). But besides ordinary spiritual influences, S. John probably has in his mind those extraordinary and supernatural powers which at various periods of the Church’s history persons have claimed to possess. Such claims exhibit themselves in professed revelations, prophecies, miracles, and the like. About all such things there are two possibilities which must put us on our guard: (1) they may be unreal; either the delusions of fanatical enthusiasts, or the lies of deliberate impostors: (2) even if real, they need not be of God. Miraculous powers are no absolute guarantee of the possession of truth. The present imperative has the same force as in 1 John 3:13 : ‘do not continue to believe, as I fear some do, whenever occasion arises’.

δοκιμάζετε. Prove the spirits. There are two words in N.T. meaning ‘to try, test, prove’; δοκιμάζειν and πειράζειν. The latter is used of the Jews trying or tempting Christ (Mark 8:11; Mark 10:2; &c.) and of the temptations of Satan (Matthew 4:1; Matthew 4:3, &c). Neither are common in S. John’s writings. He nowhere else uses δοκιμάζειν, which occurs about 20 times in N.T., and only 4 times uses πειράζειν (John 6:6; Revelation 2:2; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:10), which occurs about 40 times in N.T. The A.V. is very capricious in its renderings of the former; ‘allow’ (Romans 14:22), ‘approve’ (Romans 2:18), ‘discern’ (Luke 12:56), ‘examine’ (1 Corinthians 11:28), ‘like’ (Romans 1:28), ‘prove’ (Luke 14:19), ‘try’ (1 Corinthians 3:13); while the latter is rendered ‘examine’ (2 Corinthians 13:5), ‘prove’ (John 6:6), ‘tempt’ (Matthew 22:18), ‘try’ (Revelation 2:2). The Revisers have somewhat reduced this variety. In the one case ‘allow’ has been changed to ‘approve’; ‘examine’ and ‘try’ to ‘prove’: in the other case ‘examine’ has been changed to ‘try.’ The difference between the two words (which are found together 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Psalms 26:2) is on the whole this, that δοκιμάζειν commonly implies a good, if not a friendly object; to prove or test in the hope that what is tried will stand the test; whereas πειράζειν often implies a sinister object; to try in the hope that what is tried will be found wanting. The metaphor here is from testing metals. Comp. ‘Prove all things; hold fast that which is good’ (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

εἰ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Whether their origin (ἐκ) is from God: comp. 1 John 3:2; 1 John 3:12. With δοκιμάζειν εἰ comp. πειράζειν εἰ (2 Corinthians 13:5).

A verse such as this cuts at the root of such pretensions as the Infallibility of the Pope. What room is left for Christians to ‘prove the spirits,’ if all they have to do is to ask the opinion of an official? The Apostle’s charge, ‘prove ye the spirits,’ may be addressed to Christians singly or to the Church collectively: it cannot be addressed to one individual exclusively. Comp. Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 10:15; 1 Corinthians 11:13. The verse also shews us in what spirit to judge of such things as the reported miracles at Lourdes and the so-called ‘manifestations’ of Spiritualism. When they have been proved to be real, they must still further be proved to see ‘whether they are of God.’ We are not to judge of doctrine by miracles, but of miracles by doctrine A miracle enforcing what contradicts the teaching of Christ and His Apostles is not ‘of God’ and is no authority for Christians. Comp. Galatians 1:8; Deuteronomy 13:1-3.

ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπρ. The caution is against no imaginary or merely possible danger; it already exists. Warnings respecting the coming of such had been given by Christ, S. Paul, S. Peter, and S. Jude; and now S. John, writing long afterwards, tells the Church that these prophecies have been fulfilled. The πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται include the antichrists of 1 John 2:18; and what is here said of them seems to indicate that like Mahomet, Swedenborg, the Irvingites, and others, they put forth their new doctrine as a revelation.

ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τ. κ. This probably has no reference to what is said in 1 John 2:19 about their ‘going out from us’. It need mean no more than that they have appeared in public; but it perhaps includes the notion of their having a mission from the power that sent them: comp. John 3:17; John 6:14; John 10:36; John 11:27; John 12:47; John 12:49; and especially John 16:28. We need not confine these ‘many false prophets’ to the antichrists who had left the Christian communion. There would be others who, like Apollonius of Tyana, had never been Christians at all: and others even more dangerous who still professed to be members of the Church. The difficulties in the Church of Corinth caused by the unrestrained ‘speaking with tongues’ point to dangers of this kind.