1 John, verse-by-verse
Session 11 | 1 John 3:23-4:3
“Little Flock"
Definition: I am using Little Flock to refer to those to whom God was offering the Kingdom. The term comes from Luke 12:32 and, after the day of Pentecost, was under the authority of Peter.
Verse 23 --
The nation has been instructed to keep his commandments (v. 22) and now is told this is his commandment. Note that verse 22 is plural and verse 23 is singular. The plural resumes in verse 24. Verse 23, it appears, is one of the commandments that should be kept, and that the author wants to highlight. It would be impossible to reduce this to the only commandment, considering verses 22 and 24. Furthermore, even verse 23 contains two commandments, each referred to in the singular, not just one.
The first commandment is that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. The phrase believe on the name“believe on" the Lord (for example, John 6:29, 9:35-36, Acts 16:31, 1 Timothy 1:16). These examples cover both the Little Flock and the body of Christ. However, within the Little Flock there are more requirements than belief alone, as is seen in this verse. The truth of Acts 4:12 is always applicable.
The second is to love one another. This commandment was a summary of the law, as expressed several times in Scripture. Notice that if this epistle is written to the Body of Christ, then salvation is based on more than belief, they must also love one another. Verse 24 strengthens this requirement.
Verse 24 --
The word dwelleth is μένω [meno] which is to remain or abide, as later in the verse. If this passage is applied to our salvation,“falling from grace" must be possible. The only possible way out is to insist that dwelleth in him only refers to fellowship with Him. However, to do so would require that the words God dwelleth in him and he in God found in 1 John 4:15 also only refer to fellowship, the words being almost the same“kingdom delivery," then taking the passage literally works. If the literal reading works, there is no need to change it.
The verse continues by declaring that we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. Assuming that the Spirit is the Holy Spirit“visible." Israel could “see" the Spirit of God at work through these manifestations, and thus knew that he abideth in us. With the withdrawal of the Kingdom offer and the diminishing and blindness of Israel came the disappearance of these manifestations.
1 John 4:1-6 | Discernment of Spirits
Verse 1 —
For those of any dispensation or walk of life, testing the spirits is a mark of maturity. In this verse the spirit may be a spirit of another realm“he has an uncooperative spirit"). While it is the “positive" spirits that have the most potential to deceive us, a “negative" spirit can do the same thing. That is, we can misread any spirit. Thus we should not believe (put our faith in) every spirit until that spirit has been tested. The instruction to try the spirits does not come with a step-by-step guide. Hebrews 5:14 speaks of those of full age who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. This is one reason that a society or an individual should value maturity, which most often comes by reason of use.
“seventieth week of Daniel," the discernment is needed because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Especially during those coming days, the remnant of Israel will need to be as those described in Revelation 2:2.
Verse 2 --
Israel was given a very simple test to know whether a spirit was the Spirit of God. If the spirit confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh then that spirit is to be accepted as of God. The specific wording here of Jesus Christ requires that a person recognize that Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth is also Christ, the anointed One.
One should be careful to keep this test where it belongs: in Israel for Israel during her last days. In the last days the theological climate will be such that this becomes a litmus test on whether“spirit" would arise that would accept Jesus as come in the flesh and as being Messiah yet deny the grace of God in this dispensation (for example).
Verse 3 --
Continuing“flip side" of the litmus test is given in verse 3. The rejection of Jesus come in the flesh as the Christ is evidence that this is that spirit of antichrist. Furthermore, this spirt (though not the antichrist himself) now already is in the world.
