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  1 JOHN 4:3
  by John Gill
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Summary: The sermon emphasizes the critical importance of confessing the
true nature of Christ to safeguard against the spirit of antichrist and
false teachings.

Topics: "Discernment in Faith", "Christology"
Scripture References: John 1:14, John 14:6, Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:6-7, Colossians 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7

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DESCRIPTION
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John Gill emphasizes the critical importance of acknowledging the true
nature of Christ, including His deity, humanity, and roles as Savior and
Messiah. He warns that any spirit or doctrine that denies these truths
is not from God and is aligned with the spirit of antichrist. Gill
highlights that such false teachings are already present in the world,
serving as forerunners to the ultimate antichrist. The sermon calls
believers to remain steadfast in their faith and understanding of who
Jesus is to avoid being led astray by deceptive doctrines.

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CONTENT
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Ver. 3. And every spirit that confesseth not,.... The proper deity and
sonship of Christ, his true and real humanity, and his Messiahship; or
any of his offices, doctrines, and ordinances; or his satisfaction and
righteousness; or that peace, pardon, justification, life, and
salvation, are by him; all which are meant by what follows,

that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh: this clause is left out in the
Ethiopic version, and that without hurting the sense, since it is easily
supplied from the preceding verse; and the Alexandrian copy, and the
Vulgate Latin version, only read "Jesus": and the latter reads the whole
thus, "and every spirit that dissolves Jesus"; that separates the two
natures, human and divine, in him, and makes two persons of them; or
denies either of them, either that he is truly God, or really man, or
denies him to be Jesus, the Saviour; who, as much as in him lies,
destroys his person, office, and work, and makes void his obedience,
sufferings, and death:

is not of God; neither he nor his doctrine are of God; his doctrine
cannot come from God, being contrary to the word of God; and he himself
is neither born of God, nor on his side.

And this is that [spirit] of antichrist: who is against Christ, or
opposes himself to him; as he who denies his sonship, his deity, his
humanity, his offices, and his grace, manifestly does; every doctrine
that is calculated against these truths is the spirit and doctrine of
antichrist:

whereof you have heard that it should come, and even now already is it
the world; in the false teachers, the forerunners of antichrist;

See Gill on "1Jo 2:18".

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/john-gill/1-john-43/
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