Test the Spirits
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A guide in Spiritual Discernment
A guide in Spiritual Discernment
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because 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, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
One reason why churches are powerless is because they don’t apply the Word of God. They allow the religion of the world lead them instead of the power of the Holy Spirit lead them. In other words, they talk one thing but don’t allow the grace of God lead them. We don’t allow the Word of God to sink in and be apart of everything that we do.
Verse 4:1 returns back to the duality of the God and the Spirit with Antichrists and the world.
John’s discussion of our assurance in 3:24 by referring to the Holy Spirit brings to mind the larger subject of spiritual discernment.
It seems clear that 4:1-6 is a self-contained unit. Note the frequent use of pneuma (7 times) and the abrupt change of subject in 4:7.
pneuma - is connected etymologically with breathe or blow, and has a basic meaning of ‘air in motion’, or ‘breath’ as something necessary to life. In Greek tragedy it is used of the ‘breath of life’ and it is the ‘Spirit’ of the NT
Always be on the look out. Deceivers can even come in the name of Jesus.
14 And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
If you watch Christian TV, listen to Christian radio, and read Christian books, be discerning.
Learn how to test the spirits. Ask the questions.
What are they saying?
What is their Theology and doctrine?
Is it scriptural?
Critical questioning is important to help test the spirits.
Critical questioning is not a negative questioning. It is asking the questions and ensuring that the thought lines up with Gods, the Scriptures and yours.
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, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
John’s First test: What they say about Jesus.
What should one test for?
The Spirit of God always glorifies the Son of God (John 15:26; 16:13-15; 1 Cor 12:1-3)
26 “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
That first test centers entirely on one’s view of Jesus Christ.
John is urging three things about our belief and central to Christian discipleship:
That the man Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the divine Word of God
That Jesus Christ was and is fully divine as well as fully man (human)
That Jesus is the sole source of eternal life since he alone revels the Father to us and atones for our sins.
There was many in John’s day that had a thought or belief that went against the truth of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Gnostics refused to admit that Jesus ever had a physical body since their core belief was that all physical elements were inherently evil. People from God confess that Jesus was actually a human being as well as the Christ.
John looks for the believers to embrace with their words, “confessing Jesus” (4:3), and their hearts the truth of the Incarnation.
Antichrists are individuals that doubt and teach Jesus is either not of God- a humanistic approach- or was purely spiritual- which is a mystic/gnostic approach
This failure to hold Christ’s incarnation is to reflect the pernicious “spirit of the antichrist” that lives in the world.
John’s dualism personified evil, and he viewed those who stood against Jesus Christ as working in league with the devil. (2:13; 3:8, 10, 12; 5:18-19)
In all five uses of “antichrist” in the Johannine letters, this denial of Jesus Christ is the antichrists principal interest (2:18-22; 4:3; 2 John 7)
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
This is a return to the poem found in 2:12-14- children, overcoming young men
God is creator and over all government institutions.
There is great pressure in the world around us. As Christians when we go out into the world we are not immune from this pressure. Especially as we walk/ dive further into this world.
But because of the pressure in us (of the power) is greater than the pressure on us from the outside world. We can live and move.
John’s spiritual dualism claims that the Spirit of God is unrivaled and that those who reside in the Holy Spirit have no reason to fear.
This the biggest reason that one can stand firm in the Spiritual and worldly battles that we face everyday!
It is interesting to compare 4:1-3 with 2:18-22. In the first section, having a right relation with the Father leads to a correct view of the Son. In the second, having a right relation with the Spirit leads to a similarly correct view of the Son. In each case the Son is the center of all contacts with God. Jesus Christ is the only point of communication between heaven and earth.
The Second Test: What the world thinks about them.
This second test has to deal with the audiences.
God loves this world and sent his Son to save it. (2:2, 15, 17:4:9, 14; 5:4-5)
John sees “the world” as a place of genuine hostility to God.
A place where the forces of evil and falsehood are marshaled (3:1, 13; 4:1). We even see in 1 John 5:19 that the world is under the power of the evil one.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.
That’s why it is no surprise that false prophecies originate with an ungodly spirit, the utterances will find a ready reception in the world.
It is the response of the church, the community of true believers, that can test the veracity of a word from the Lord.
God’s people know His voice - like sheep with the shepherd (John 10:4)
4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
There is a harmony, a correspondence, between the Holy Spirit in the believer and the Holy Spirit in the prophet. When God’s Spirit inspires a prophet, his people will discern God’s truth.
This is how we can discern “the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood”
Christians must judge the Christological correctness of anyone’s teachings. Understanding their theology and doctrine.
If the incarnate Christ has been theologically removed, if Christology is not at the center of what someone says, that should raise red flags for you and us, be suspicious.
Testing the spirits today will take considerable discernment and not a little courage. But John’s command is clear that such testing is the responsibility of every generation.
John’s test can be limiting to one historical setting, they also tend to be limited in scope.
Other essential beliefs about Jesus that go beyond his incarnation, such as his miraculous powers, his resurrection, and his second coming, might be included in other circumstances. John mentions none of these because they were not issues sharply defining fidelity to the apostolic witness in his circumstances.
Each generation, must forge its beliefs, anchored to the doctrines laid out in Scriptures with an eye on the contemporary challenges the church must confront.
Quick look at the past shows us how this has been done already:
The historic Christian creeds ( Nicea, Chalcedon) did this.
Formulated statements of faith on matters essential to their time and place.
1934 Barmen Declaration was written by German Christians to reject the Nazi claim that God was at work in the nationalistic aspirations of the Third Reich and the government could therefore make a divine claim of obedience.
In more recent generations the need for clarification and clarifying questions of biblical authority, sexuality, and social justice.
As Christians and the church be ready, just like the Johannine Christians were, to confront wrong thinking and willful unbelief.
Many today are quick to how they feel about a particular question, but few are capable of giving a coherent, objective, carefully reasoned argument for or against it.
We see this same thing among many in the church adults, where adult education programs, rather than equipping men and women to “test the spirits” of their day, help them cope with feelings they have in the crises of their lives.
Both are important, but one is neglected.
John’s call here is to build a Christian maturity that can use theological radar to spot intruders who want to upend the church’s beliefs.
A high-tech radar that can tell the difference between minor issues and colossal errors that deserve a fierce struggle and fight.
They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
Modern Atheism believe only the physical world so metaphysical aspects are lost on them.
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
This is the function of the discerning community
Know and understand the Gospels. In the western church we forget that the simple Gospel is the most powerful. The Gospels were written by those apostles that were chosen by Jesus Christ himself. They walked, studied and lived with Him.
They witnessed his miracles and the resurrection.
They composed the NT under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
We need to Read them and know them. How do we tell the story of Jesus the Messiah, Son of God, if we don’t even know His story or who He is. Many of us know him only as our Savior, But He is so much more!
With the ever changing Spiritual Landscape just as confusing today as it was for john two thousand years ago, challenges to the gospel and the flourishing of new religious movements seem all to common.
We can not let Christian generosity become confused with the ultimate mission of the church.
Discernment must become a vigorous part of every congregation’s ministry.
Understanding that there are difficulties and challenges to applying it.
We must know where to apply it and when to narrow it down or pull back.
The Church is called to be the custodian of the truth.
John is addressing the corporate body of Christ when telling us to “test the spirits”
his verbs are plural (“together all of you test the spirits”)
implying that this spiritual discernment is an obligation of the gathered body and its leadership.
It is incumbent on the church to weigh what is being taught within its ranks.
This can be a struggle.
Someone once said “ The church should be loving and accepting, not critical.”
This is correct. But...
We should not be so harsh and critical in our custodianship that we disqualify every different point of view in a congregation.
On the other hand, we cannot be negligent either. We cannot accept all things in the interest of accepting all people.
It becomes a balance and calls for a humility and courage that is willing to submit to the corporate voice while still retaining its passion and vision.
The centrality of Christology
John affirms a delicate balance throughout his writings between the humanity and the divinity of Christ. He will not compromise on neither.
We should be the same as the body of Christ. We should not compromise.
How do we unmask false teachers?
John warns of false teachers/prophets may lay siege to the church, but gives us little direction how to do this or what to do with these teachers when they are uncovered.
Two concerns that John has:
false teachers should not have access to the church platform for their teachings.
people should not be deceived by what they hear in the church.
Practically speaking, when our children go to Sunday School, we should have the assurance that the teacher in the class is not there simply because they are the only one who volunteered.
The church must guarantee that those who teach are theologically and spiritually qualified to do so.
One danger of unmasking false teachers is that the community of Christ might become unduly intolerant of diverse points of view.
Some might see themselves as commissioned or self appointed champions to flush out those whose outlooks differ.
Not what is ment to be. The desire that John had and we should take on is that the leadership of the church prohibit any from leading who might undermine the heart and soul of the Christian faith.
Where and who are these spirits toady?
If John outlook is dualistic, we have to be ready to test for genuine spiritual forces in our community.
we have to admit that there is a possibility of demonic influence among those who want to sabotage the church.
It is around us and can be very subtle
Paul tells us about spiritual warfare, but there is no doubt that John had to deal with it and thus John wants us equipped for spiritual battle.
Spiritual warfare is all around us. When we are in the world we are surrounded by many different types of believers of many different type of faith groups, Jews, Catholics, high church Protestants, Mormons and even Satan worshipers.
Without a doubt destructive spirits are at work in the world. In the church.
The Church must be equipped and equip every believer to combat all forms of evil!