1 John 4:3 - Jesus Has Come in the Flesh

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. -- 1 John 4:3, English Standard Version.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. -- 

2 John 1:7, English Standard Version.

It is somewhat puzzling as to why those who wish to add to the scriptures that Jesus is his God often quote 1 John 4:3 as proof that Jesus is his God. As best as we can determine, many seem to think that this verse says: "Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ [is God] come in the flesh is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." (We added what some evidently read into this verse in brackets "[is God]".)

Bible Students certainly should confess and thoroughly believe that Jesus did indeed come in the flesh, for which purpose was to offer that sinless flesh, his sinless humanity, in which was life, in sacrifice to his God for the church and the world of mankind. (Matthew 20:28; John 6:51; Luke 22:19; Romans 3:25; 5:8,12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22; Ephesians 5:2; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 10:5,10; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) We believe this is why John emphasized that Jesus had come in the flesh, since this is the whole basis of the atonement as set forth in the New Testament.

Usually those who believe that Jesus is the Supreme Being, by what they teach, actually are denying the purpose for which he came in to the flesh, for most of them claim that Jesus is still flesh, that he took back his flesh and still has his body that he died with; some even believe that he still has the physical wounds that were physically inflicted upon his body when on the day of his death. There are, however, those who do not believe that Jesus is the Supreme Being who also believe that Jesus still has his body that he died in. All such would, in effect, deny the purpose for which Jesus came in the flesh, that is, to give his flesh in sacrifice for the life of the world.

Nevertheless, if one rejects Jesus as who he claimed to be -- "the Son of God" -- then such could be of the class spoken of here. While the trinitarian has come up with some ingenious reasoning to explain how Jesus is the God of whom he is the Son, in reality, the trinity doctrine does reject Jesus as being who he claimed to be. Likewise, any who claim that Jesus is the Supreme Being do likewise.

There were many spirits -- theories, doctrines -- among the Christians, even in the first century -- which did indeed deny Jesus as being who he himself said he is -- not necessarily that they denied that they believed in Jesus, but they imagined Jesus to be other than whom he said he was. Some were claiming that he was God; some were claiming that he was an angel "incarnated" in flesh; others were saying that he was simply a good, yet sinful man, as all others; others were saying that his death did not purchase anyone, etc. All of these theories actually do not confess the true Jesus, but actually confess another Jesus, and deny the true Jesus as having come in the flesh. -- 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Jesus, as the one whom he claimed to be, the Anointed One of Jehovah, the one sent by Jehovah, the Son of Jehovah, the one who came from his God, is the true foundation upon which our faith should be built. "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, Jesus Christ." -- 1 Corinthians 3:11.
Jesus is Not Jehovah

Nevertheless, those who wish for Jesus to be God himself actually build another foundation, that is the trinity doctrine or similar doctrine; such usually claim their doctrine to be the foundation upon which one should build their faith.

While the world does not confess Jesus to be "Lord,"  it is also true that few of the professed Christian systems are ready to confess the true purpose for which Jesus came in flesh.

The very word "Christ" signifies the Son, not as being Jehovah, but rather as the one whom Jehovah anointed and sent. (Isaiah 61:1) In effect, then, those who claim that Jesus is Jehovah would create a different Jesus who would be instead of the Christ (anti-Christ) whom Jehovah anointed. The fact that Jehovah anointed and sent Jesus provides the basis to believe that the default reasoning should be that Jesus is not Jehovah who anointed and sent Jesus.

Jesus became flesh (in which he was holy, undefiled) in order to pay the price or penalty against us -- death. The affirmation or denial of Messiah's having come in the flesh was and still is a sure test -- the ransom test stated in one of its forms: every doctrine that denies it is an active opponent of the truth.

All who believe that Christ is still a man -- with a body of flesh -- since his resurrection and that he will come a second time as a man, are thereby, in effect, denying the basis of the ransom, for this would deny -- in effect -- that there really was a ransom price paid to God. It would deny that Jesus gave his human body as a sacrificial offering to his God (Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 7:27; 9:14) to pay the debt of sin for the church and the human race. -- Luke 22:19; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:24; 15:21,22; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:10.

This does not mean, however, that we are pass judgment upon our fellow Christians who may be caught up in such beliefs. At the same time, we should point out as tactfully as possible the error of such belief.

Christ's Second Coming in the Flesh?

Another argument often used concerning 1 John 4:3 is that it says that Christ is to come again in the flesh, and thus to deny that Christ's second coming in the flesh would be antichrist.

1 John 4:3 does not say one word about Christ returning in the flesh. What it does say:

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. -- New King James Version.

Compare this with:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. -- 2 John 1:7, New King James Version.

John was writing about a past event, "Christ came in the flesh"; he was writing about Christ's first appearance, not his second appearance.

This agrees with Hebrews 5:7, which speaks of the "days of his flesh" -- the days in which Jesus as having come in the flesh -- as something in the past. Jesus is no longer in the days of his flesh.

Why is it important to recognize that Jesus "has come in the flesh"? He came in the flesh to offer that flesh as a sacrifice, not that he would be flesh for eternity. It was the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all. (1 Timothy 2:5,6) Jesus said that the bread represented his human flesh "which is given for you." (Luke 22:19) And the scripture reads that believers "have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10) And Peter tells us: "Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." (1 Peter 3:18) If Jesus had not come in the flesh, then there would have been no offering to cover our sins. But Jesus tells us: "the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world." (John 6:51) Further on in same chapter (1 John 4), John writes concerning the reason Jesus came in the flesh: "By this was God's love revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice [propitation -- appeasing] for our sins." (1 John 4:9,10) Thus, John emphasized earlier that confession of Jesus as having coming in the flesh is necessary, since Jesus has come in the flesh to offer that flesh as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Any teaching that teaches otherwise is anti-christ (against, or replaces Christ).

It is being claimed that to deny that Christ is flesh, to deny that he still has the body of flesh and bones, is the spirit of antichrist. No scripture says such a thing. Indeed, if Jesus today still has the body of flesh (a sinless fleshly man has the glory of a body that is a little lower than the angels. -- Psalm 8:5; 1 Corinthians 15:40; Hebrews 2:9), then such is the spirit of antichrist, for it would deny the purpose of why Jesus came in the flesh, since it would deny that Jesus has actually sacrificed that flesh.

Acts 1:11

Many point to Acts 1:11 and claim that this means that since Jesus ascended in his body of flesh, that when he returns, he will descend in his body of flesh. It seems strange that so many Christians overlook the fact that the angel did not say anything about what kind of a body our Lord would have at his second appearing, but merely that it would be "this Jesus" -- the same one who was with the Father before the world was, and that for a time, and for a purpose, was made or became flesh (John 1:14), made a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9), and dwelt among us, and died for us and rose a life-giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). It was this same Jesus, who, during the forty days since his resurrection, the world had not seen, and who his disciples had seen only for a few times and for a few moments, when he occasionally "showed himself" to them, to demonstrate the fact that he was risen and changed. It was this same Jesus who would come again, in the same "manner" as he left. As to the "manner" in which he went away, it was quiet, unknown to the world, and so will be the manner of his return -- unknown to any except a few of his disciples.

See:

Jesus Died a Human Being - Raised a Spirit Being
Raised in the Spirit
Jesus’ Appearances in the Locked Room
Did Jesus Raise Himself from the Dead?
The World Will See Me No More
Christ's Parousia - Presence or Arrival?
Astrape

It is claimed that the spirit of the antichrist would never acknowledge the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. No scripture says this, and we believe that the spirit of antichrist may acknowledge the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, but then deny the purpose for which God sent Jesus in the flesh by saying that Jesus is still a man.

However, acknowledging -- as we do -- that Jesus was put to death in the flesh, suffering once for sin, and that he was made alive in the spirit, is not the spirit of antichrist, and the fact that acknowledging that God raised Jesus from death as a spirit being certainly does acknowledge the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.