The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Deception

In 1 John 4:1–6, the author distinguishes for his readers between two Spirits. He begins by urging his readers: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God …” (NIV). This is the first occurrence in the Johannine literature of an explicit distinction between two types of Spirits. In the gospel, all of the references to the Spirit were in the absolute sense, and there was no indication that there was more than one Spirit (except in the Paraclete passages, where the Spirit was designated “another Paraclete” and “the Spirit of Truth”).

This distinction between spirits reflects the dualistic worldview of 1 John. For the author, his opponents (who had been members of the community and who also claimed to have received the Spirit) do indeed have a spirit, but it is the Spirit of Deception. The author can tell which spirit a person has by the confession of belief they make. If the person does not confess Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2), or if the person “does away with Jesus,” the spirit in that person is the Spirit of Deception. These individuals then are described as “antichrists” (1 John 4:3; see also 2:18, 22). This is the first time the term “antichrist” appears in Christian literature. Here, it seems to have a very specific meaning of “one who is opposed to Jesus as the true “Christ.” Later, it will have the more general meaning of the figure who is the incarnation of all evil.

The believers need to know that the Spirit within them is greater than the spirit within the world. The opponents are “of” (i.e., belong to) the world and the true believers are “of” God.