1 John 4:1-3

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

The term “spirit” (v.1) means a religious teacher who claims to speak by inspiration. — Williams, page 1915.

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do not believe every spirit (v.1) — This is set in contrast to the mention of the Holy Spirit at the end of the preceding chapter. While we have the assurance that Christ abides in us by the Spirit which He gave us, yet we are to be on our guard against deceptive spirits. Our assurance should be the means of increasing our powers of discernment in regard to contrary influences. The tense of the verb is continuous, it suggests that we are to be in the habit of refusing to believe every spirit. — Vine, page 73.

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test (v.1) — The completed Scriptures, i.e., the Old Testament and the New Testament, became later the sole and sufficient standard by which all teaching oral or written could be tested, but long before that time believers and churches had multiplied widely. During the intervening period, in the case of revelations, for the testing of which the Old Testament was not available, such as that referred to in Colossians 1:26, e.g., believers were encouraged, by the promised guidance of the Holy Spirit, John 16:13, to compare utterances claiming to be spiritual, 1 Corinthians 2:13, and so to test the prophecy and the spirit that prompted it, 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 John 4:6; Revelation 2:2. — Vine, page 74.

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of God (v.1) — have God as their source … We must neither mistake self-will for conscience nor accept doctrines which add to, or detract from, the Word of God. — Vine, page 74.

have gone out into the world (v.1) — suggests a deliberate mission to deceive people. The tense indicates that the evil spirits that have gone out are here to stay.

Verses 2 and 3 state the test mentioned in verse 1.

by this (v.2) — referring to what John wrote next

It is possible to render the original as follows: “every spirit that confesseth that Jesus is Christ having come in the flesh,” or again “confesseth Jesus Christ having come in flesh.” All the Gnostic sects denied this truth. They maintained a distinction between Christ and the man Jesus. The Apostle maintains the truth that Jesus Christ is on inseparable Person and that He has become flesh. Cp. Colossians 2:9. The perfect tense “having come” … represents an abiding effect. From His Incarnation onward Christ was, and ever is, possessed of true Manhood. … Every spirit who confesses this truth is of God, i.e., is derived from God, the person himself having been born of God. — Vine, page 76.

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Public confession of Christ in the Gospel of the Kingdom was not optional. The Savior said that no Jew in this era could be His disciple, or have eternal life, unless they confessed Him as their Messiah/Christ (Matthew 10:32-39; Luke 12:8-9). Confession meant that they personally believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, who had come in the flesh to fulfill prophecy and give eternal life (Matthew 16:16). Many refused to confess Christ publicly because they feared being put out of the synagogue (John 9:22; 12:42). All of this contrasts with our present requirements for eternal salvation: faith, apart from works, in the sacrifice of the Savior for our sins (Romans 3:21-28; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Ephesians 2:8-9). Public confession of Christ is still an admirable thing that [we should, but are not required to, do]. — Grace, page 2223.

Jesus Christ (v.3) — some manuscripts only have “Jesus,” which, if stated so in the original, would emphasize His humanity.

the spirit of the Antichrist (v.3) — The Antichrist will deny the truth relating to Christ, as he will not merely be opposed to Christ but will be Satan’s substitute for Him. — Vine, page 76.

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You have heard was coming (v.3) — The personal Antichrist will indeed come, but what the Apostle next says shows that he has in view the antichristian spirit. — Vine, page 76.

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In the original (v.3), “already” is put at the end of the sentence to add emphasis. The verse indicates that, while a real Antichrist is coming, the spirit of Antichrist is already here, preparing the way for him. — Vine, page 76.

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Christ come in flesh, i.e., in actual physical and perfect humanity involves atonement and resurrection; for in order to die as the sin-offering He must become man, for God could not die; and that His atoning death should have a demonstration of Dive acceptance He must be raised from the dead, otherwise His oblation failed in its purpose and did not satisfy the claims of righteousness. The Docetae [an early sect that taught that Jesus only seemed to be a man] … distinguished between Jesus and the Messiah. They taught that the Messiah was an illusion, a power, that influenced Jesus of Nazareth. The Messiah, therefore, had no proper actual humanity. — Williams, page 1014.

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The false prophets are certainly no fewer in number at the present time than when the apostle spoke; yet, in general, we may say they assume less divine authority. We have sunk down so far into the wisdom of the world that man is credited with a place which God has lost. Inspiration is the inspiration of genius, rather then of God. … We believe in brilliancy, in eloquence, in intellect, in whatever you please in this way, but the assumption of speaking in any direct way by the Spirit of God no more exists, for the mass, except that one may say that the Spirit of God is a liberal as men are, and speaks in a very diverse fashion — in poets, philosophers, and all the acknowledged leaders among men. — Gaebelein, page 1182.

I think the above paragraph has a good point, although I would also add those who find Scripture verses that, taken very much out of context and in isolation, can be twisted to support liberal viewpoints with the claim that God, therefore, agrees with them.