John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. And every spirit that confesseth not , &c.] 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 1 John 2:18).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Christians who are well acquainted with the Scriptures, may, in humbl dependence on Divine teaching, discern those who set forth doctrine according to the apostles, and those who contradict them. The sum of revealed religion is in the doctrine concerning Christ, his person an office. The false teachers spake of the world according to its maxim and tastes, so as not to offend carnal men. The world approved them they made rapid progress, and had many followers such as themselves the world will love its own, and its own will love it. The tru doctrine as to the Saviour's person, as leading men from the world to God, is a mark of the spirit of truth in opposition to the spirit of error. The more pure and holy any doctrine is, the more likely to be of God; nor can we by any other rules try the spirits whether they are of God or not. And what wonder is it, that people of a worldly spiri should cleave to those who are like themselves, and suit their scheme and discourses to their corrupt taste?
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ παν 3956 A-NSN πνευμα 4151 N-NSN ο 3739 R-NSN μη 3361 PRT-N ομολογει 3670 5719 V-PAI-3S τον 3588 T-ASM ιησουν 2424 N-ASM χριστον 5547 N-ASM εν 1722 PREP σαρκι 4561 N-DSF εληλυθοτα 2064 5756 V-2RAP-ASM εκ 1537 PREP του 3588 T-GSM θεου 2316 N-GSM ουκ 3756 PRT-N εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S και 2532 CONJ τουτο 5124 D-NSN εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S το 3588 T-NSN του 3588 T-GSM αντιχριστου 500 N-GSM ο 3739 R-NSN ακηκοατε 191 5754 V-2RAI-2P-ATT οτι 3754 CONJ ερχεται 2064 5736 V-PNI-3S και 2532 CONJ νυν 3568 ADV εν 1722 PREP τω 3588 T-DSM κοσμω 2889 N-DSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S ηδη 2235 ADV
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. Is come in the flesh. Omit. Render, confesseth not Jesus. So Rev. An ancient reading is luei ton Ihsoun annulleth or destroyeth Jesus." The simple Jesus emphasizes the humanity of our Lord considered in itself. See Rom. iii. 26; x. 9; 2 Cor. xi. 4; Eph. iv. 21; Heb. ii. 9. This (touto). Not this spirit, but this non-confession, summed up in all its manifestations.Cometh. See on ii. 18.
