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Once again John turns his attention to the false teachers. Two spirits are in the world: the spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist. One should test the spirits to see which he shares. Appeal to spirit (enthusiasm) or even to the Spirit is not an adequate guarantee of truth. The NT writers consistently insist that the person of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God’s truth is the only valid test of truth.
In one sense, this brief passage could be considered the focal point of the whole epistle since the Incarnation and its reality is the basis of every claim made against the perverse teachings, behavior, and attitudes of the secessionists. John’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit is Christological through and through.