1 John 4:1 (DRB)

Passage

Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:1 Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1 John 4:2 By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

1 John 4:3 And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh: and he is now already in the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "world", "dearly", "beloved", "believe", "spirits", "false", and "prophets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "world", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "By this is the spirit of God...", so "Spirit" and "world" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "world" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.