1 John 4:3 (YLT)

Passage

and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it doth come, and now in the world it is already.

Nearby Context

1 John 4:1 Beloved, every spirit believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false prophets have gone forth to the world;

1 John 4:2 in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is,

1 John 4:3 and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it doth come, and now in the world it is already.

1 John 4:4 Ye--of God ye are, little children, and ye have overcome them; because greater is He who <FI>is<Fi> in you, than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:5 They--of the world they are; because of this from the world they speak, and the world doth hear them;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "world", "doth", "confess", "jesus", "christ", "flesh", and "having". 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 "in this know ye the Spirit of..." into verse 4's "Ye--of God ye are 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.