“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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 4:1-3 ESV)
False doctrine is everywhere. It comes in all forms; from the most blatant to the most subtle, there is a constant danger of error. In this world filled with every conceivable message, how do you know which are true? Even among those who profess the name of Christ and claim to teach the Bible, there are plenty of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Even as early as the first century, false teaching was pervasive. John, who had walked with Jesus, had to warn his readers against heretics who would damage the church. He appeals to them to “test the spirits.” By “spirits,” he is not referring to invisible beings but rather to spiritual teachings. We are to test the teachings we hear regarding spiritual things. We should be discerning listeners who can measure the veracity of the teaching against the truth of Scripture.
This is of supreme importance to us today because we cannot escape the perpetual stream of teachers in our society, all of whom claim to have the truth, yet many of whom make claims that are contrary to one another and, more importantly, to Scripture. John’s instruction, therefore, is to listen to these teachings with a critical ear to “see whether they are from God.” Do not just accept anyone who comes in the name of Jesus. Do not open the doors of your church to just anyone who claims they preach the gospel. Test them to know exactly what they believe about Jesus and what gospel they preach.
This is a primary way by which we keep watch over ourselves and keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21). It is how we defend against those who would, either intentionally or unintentionally, proclaim a distorted message of Christ that cannot save anyone. It is how we preserve the purity of the gospel and the foundation on which the church stands. Without watchful members who take doctrinal truth seriously, we may well find ourselves overrun by error before we become aware enough of it to put up our defenses. How do we know who is bringing the truth of Christ? By testing the spirits.
An equally important question is, how do you know you are preaching the truth about Christ? When you share the gospel, are you standing on the historic, orthodox faith that is built on the apostles and prophets in Scripture (Ephesians 2:20), or has your “gospel” been perverted by the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil?
We should test our own teaching in the same manner that we test the teaching of others: by holding it against Scripture. Anyone who is regularly engaged in teaching the gospel, whether to unbelievers in the remotest tribe on earth or to seasoned believers in your local church, must always measure his or her own teaching against the Word of God. No amount of good intentions or motivating rhetoric will count for anything if the true Christ and his gospel are absent from the message.
John’s main concern was to impress on his readers the true human nature of Christ. Christ did not merely appear to be human but took on flesh and blood so that he might be the Savior of the human race. He remained God, in full possession of the divine nature, and he became man. Both his humanity and his divinity were necessary for him to provide for our salvation.
This is one important theological concept by which we are to measure the truth of a teaching. John does not mince words. He says clearly, “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.”
It is important to preach, but what you preach is even more crucial. It would be better to say nothing at all than to say that which is not true. Boldness, as vital as it is to the task of evangelism, means nothing if it does not coincide with speaking the truth.
Christ came into the world by taking on a human nature that is like ours in every respect except sin. If you are to preach a true gospel message, that is the message you must preach..
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
We are prone to wander and prone to believe that which is not true. Keep us vigilant to test all that we hear against the inerrant standard of your Word, that as we go into the world to proclaim Christ, we will do so with precision and accuracy.
For Jesus’ sake, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for missionaries serving through food outreach ministry in Papua New Guinea.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries in Togo serving through a well-drilling ministry.
- Thursday: Pray for missionaries working with Reaching Africa’s Unreached in Uganda.
- Friday: Pray for the staff and students at a Christian International School in North Africa.
- Saturday: Pray for the ministry of the Worthy of Life Prenatal and Family Counseling Center in Peru.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries serving through camp ministry.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Mexico.
Featured Opportunity to Serve:
Student Internship
Location: Japan
As a student intern serving with our Japan team, you will have the unique opportunity to serve in Bible studies, English class outreach, music concert outreach, and through evangelism and discipleship.
