1 John 4:3 (LSB)

Passage

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world hears them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "world", "does", "confess", "jesus", "antichrist", "heard", and "coming". 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 nearby context moves from verse 2's "By this you know the Spirit of..." into verse 4's "You are from God little children and...", so "Spirit" and "world" belong inside that flow. 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.