First John: 1 John 4:3b-Teaching Rejecting Jesus is the God-Man Savior is Antichrist Lesson # 150
First John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:04:16
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1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (ESV)
“This is the spirit of the antichrist” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), which is not translated (2) nominative neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος), “this” (3) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb eimi (εἰμί), “is” (4) nominative neuter plural form of the definite article ho (ὁ), “the” (5) articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun antichristos (ἀντίχριστος), “the antichrist.”
This time the conjunction kai is epexegetical which means that the word is introducing an assertion which identifies specifically for the recipients of First John the characteristic which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior.
The nominative neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun houtos means “this” and refers to the spirit or teaching propagated in the world which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior.
The verb eimi means “to possess a particular characteristic” which is identified by the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun antichristos, “the antichrist.”
Thus, this verb expresses the idea that any teaching which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior possesses the characteristic which is antichrist or in other words, it is characterized as opposing Jesus Christ.
The nominative neuter plural form of the definite article ho is anaphoric which means that it is pointing back to the nominative neuter singular form of the noun pneuma, “spirit” which is omitted by John but implied due to his use of the figure of ellipsis.
Actually, the article enables him to omit the word and is short-hand or in other words, the nominative neuter singular form of the definite article enables John to omit the nominative neuter form of the pneuma.
The article by itself is simply signaling to the reader that pneuma is implied.
As was we noted earlier in verse 3, the noun pneuma refers to an outlook or viewpoint expressed through instruction by a teacher which influences people.
This word refers to teaching propagated by a teacher, which expresses a particular viewpoint.
The noun antichristos is describing the teaching which rejects that Jesus of Nazareth is the God-man Savior of the world.
Therefore, this verb eimi is expressing the idea that the person who emphatically rejects Jesus as the God-man Savior possesses the characteristic of being that which is antichrist or in other words, it is characterized as opposing Jesus Christ.
The articular construction of the noun antichristos is generic which distinguishes one class from another.
Here the generic use of the article serves to distinguish teaching which rejects Jesus as the God-man Savior from the apostolic teaching which accepts by faith Jesus is the God-man Savior.
The noun antichristos is in the genitive case and is functioning as an epexegetical genitive which means it is identifying for the recipients of First John the precise character of the teaching which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior.
The present tense of the verb eimi is a gnomic present which is used for a general, timeless fact or specifically, a spiritual axiom or an eternal spiritual truth.
Here it is used to express an absolute statement that is true all the time, namely that the teaching which rejects Jesus of Nazareth is the God-man Savior does “as an eternal spiritual truth” possess the characteristic which can be described as antichrist.
“Which you heard was coming” refers to the fact that the recipients of this epistle heard through instruction that the teaching which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior which is characterized as that which is antichrist was coming and was already present in the world in their day and age.
“And now is in the world already” is emphatic and refers to the fact that the teaching which is characterized as antichrist because it rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior is already existing in the world when John wrote First John.
1 John 4:3 On the other hand, any spirit, which does not acknowledge this same Jesus (as the Christ appearing in human flesh) by no means possesses the characteristic which originates from this the one and only God (who is the Spirit). Specifically, this (type of spirit) does possess the characteristic which can be described as antichrist, which each and every one of you have heard about through instruction is certain to come. In fact, it now presently exists in the state of already being in the world. (Author’s translation)
1 John 4:3 contains an adversative clause which is followed by an epexegetical clause and then an emphatic clause.
The adversative clause asserts that any spirit, which does not acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ appearing in human flesh by no means possesses the characteristic which originates with God the Holy Spirit.
This characteristic of course is truth.
The epexegetical clause identifies specifically for the recipients of First John the character of the teaching which rejects Jesus of Nazareth as the God-man Savior.
It describes this type of teaching as possessing the characteristic which can be described as that which is antichrist.
In other words, this type of teaching is characterized as being opposed to Jesus Christ.
John’s teaching in 1 John 4:2-3 that Jesus is the God-man Savior is a fundamental and cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith.
If a sinner rejects that Jesus is both God and man, then they will never enter into a relationship with God and never experience fellowship with Him since the hypostatic union is the basis for entering into a relationship with Him and to experience fellowship with Him.
Exercising faith in the person of Jesus Christ and specifically exercising faith in the Spirit’s testimony through the apostolic teaching that He is the God-man is the basis for entering into an eternal relationship with a holy God.
If Jesus is not God, then they are dead in their sins since the Son of God became a human being to die for the sins of the entire world and to reconcile sinners to a holy God.
If the Son did not become a human being, then there would be no possible way for sinners to experience a relationship and fellowship with a holy God since His death as a human being provides sinners the forgiveness of sins.
His death and resurrection as a human being provided sinners deliverance from eternal condemnation, enslavement to the devil and the sin nature, personal sins, physical and spiritual death, and condemnation from the Law.
It also provided the opportunity to experience an eternal relationship and fellowship with a holy God.
None of this would be possible if the Son did not become a human being and die on the cross and rise from the dead three days later.
Furthermore, to deny that Jesus of Nazareth is both God and man is to deny the resurrection since the resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is God (cf. Rom. 1:1-4).
To deny the deity of Christ is to deny the doctrine of the Trinity.
Then, in 1 John 4:3, the apostle John then reminds the recipients of First John that each one of them have heard about this type of false doctrine through instruction.
This would mean that each one of the recipients of First John without exception were warned about such false doctrine through instruction.
John then asserts that in the past they were taught through instruction that this would certainly place in the future.
The apostle John then emphasizes that this doctrine, which rejected Jesus of Nazareth is the God-man Savior, was already in existence when John wrote First John.
That this was the case is manifested by the recipients of First John being exposed to the doctrine of the proto-Gnostic teachers whom John describes in 1 John 2:18 as “antichrists” and unregenerate in 1 John 2:19 and “false prophets” in 1 John 4:2.
They taught “docetic” Gnosticism which rejected the human nature of Jesus of Nazareth.
These verses further describe in detail the individuals who adhere to and propagate the teaching that Jesus of Nazareth is not the God-man Savior and which false doctrine is mentioned here in 1 John 4:3.
1 John 2:18 and 22 like 1 John 4:3 describes those who propagate this false doctrine about the person of Jesus Christ as “antichrist.”
1 John 2:19 and 23 teach that they are unregenerate or in other words, they are non-believers since verse 19 asserts that they never belonged to the Christian community and verse 23 states that they never possessed a relationship with the Father since Jesus Christ is the mediator between sinful human beings and a holy God.
1 John 2:22 describes them as the worst type of liar.
This false doctrine concerning the person of Jesus Christ was an “incipient” form of Gnosticism since it was not a full-blown threat to orthodox Christianity in the mid to late part of the first century as it did become in the middle of the second century.
Specifically, it is called “docetic” Gnosticism.