The Test of Faith

1 John 4:1-6

John’s audience had likely never seen Jesus in the flesh. They had never been to Jerusalem, they had not experienced listening to or watching Jesus. Their faith rested not upon their personal observation and experience. Rather their faith was founded upon the consistent message of John and the other apostles: Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2).

As John has demonstrated throughout his letter, however, merely giving mental assent to that statement (1 John 4:2), is not what it means to be a follower of Jesus. James, the half brother of Jesus reminds us that

James 2:19 HCSB

You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.

John is inviting his readers to recall the defining issue of their lives: God, who is light, has revealed Himself most fully in Jesus, and He invites us to experience the life of Jesus in and through us.

In the mid-1600’s a young pastor/theologian described being a Jesus follower in these terms: it

is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul, or, in the apostle's phrase, "It is Christ formed within us."

Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man

We tend to discount writings such as John’s because we want to think that in our sophisticated and contemporary world our issues are much more complex and complicated.

Certainly John and his readers didn’t have instant communications with one another as we do. But conflicts between people groups were always present. Sexual perversion in Roman culture on full display. The role of women and children were clearly spelled out in Roman and Greek culture: they were property to be disposed of, a means to an end, and more often than not ignored and told to be silent.

The priority of the emperor was undisputed…unless one had a death wish. The economy always favored those who already had land and wealth. Influence was not measured by the brilliance or originality of ideas but by who had the ear of the ruling class.

All of a sudden, things don’t seem that different than that!

In the midst of such confusion John writes to remind his readers that while political, economic, and military issues may be beyond our control, there are several ways of recognizing truth, several tests that can be applied to identifying the people of God.

These tests have nothing to do with political parties or cultural wars. Yes, those issues will be impacted by those who pass these tests, but the tests are intensely personal and determine much more than who to vote for or what policies to adopt.

The first test:

1 John 4:2 HCSB

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

Next week the second test:

1 John 4:7 HCSB

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

On Nov 19, the third test:

1 John 5:11–13 HCSB

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Deception

Jesus Christ has come in the flesh

Here is the first test we can apply in our lives and as we evaluate what we hear and experience in our lives.

JESUS

The name ‘Jesus’ was and is not all that uncommon. This ‘Jesus’ however specifically identifies the one who called John and others to follow Him.

the This ‘Jesus’ identifies one who taught large crowds and performed miracles.

This ‘Jesus’ specifies one who was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth.

CHRIST

The OT and Jewish background of the word ‘Christ’ indicates a specific function and majesty. First, the function of the ‘Christ/Messiah’ is to take away the sin of human beings and reconcile them to God. This we see in Jesus as He took the sin of the world upon Himself at the cross, paying the penalty of death for all who believe.

The majesty of the ‘Messiah/Christ’ is located in His divine origin and assignment. Throughout the NT we read of Jesus, the Christ, as priest and king, fulfilling the promise God made to David that a successor would one day rule for eternity.

…has come in the flesh...

In first century world opinions about spiritual matters were varied. Most cultures had unique stories about the origin of all things, and most cultures had specific gods and goddesses that needed to b e worshiped in particular ways in order to sustain an orderly world.

Into this mishmash of spiritual beliefs, comes John and the other apostles along with the first several generations of believers insisting that this Jesus - whom most had never seen or heard - is indeed the Savior of all people.

The NT makes clear that early in the growth of the church there was a controversy over the availability of Jesus to non-Jews. Some were teaching that to be a genuine Jesus follower one also had to become thoroughly Jewish.

That controversy threatened early believers but was dealt with in a gathering of leaders recorded in Acts 15.

As time passed and the message of Jesus spread across various cultures, some began to assimilate Jesus into their own system of belief. Perhaps the most prominent example of this is evident in John’s writing. Some insisted that Jesus was merely a man upon whom the spirit of Christ descended at the moment of his baptism. The spirit of ‘Christ’ then departed as the man Jesus died on the cross. They didn’t need a ‘resurrection.’ For them Jesus - if He even existed physically - was a vessel in which God somehow revealed Himself.

But John, as he writes in his gospel:

John 1:14 HCSB

The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

This test: that Jesus physically makes real the presence of God, and He is the Christ/Messiah appointed by God to offer forgiveness of sin and a new quality of life - resurrection life.

The spirit of deception

John helpfully spells out several characteristics of these who ‘fail’ the test:

a). they exhibit the spirit of antichrist

John has already written about the antichrists who were already in the world and clearly evident:

1 John 2:18–19 HCSB

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, “Antichrist is coming,” even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

b). they are ‘from’ the world

These are clearly not of God, nor are they born of God.

c). they are listened to by others from the world

The world accepts their message, the world affirms their beliefs.

John also shares characteristics of those who are ‘from’ God:

a). they conquer the antichrists/the spirit who gives them life

We who are ‘born’ of God, who share an anointing (see 1 John 2:20, 27) are undefeated when facing the enemy.

The Holy Spirit who indwells us is none less than the Spirit of God who is creator and sustainer of the universe.

The adversary does have power - but it is limited in strength and duration. When Christ returns, the power of the enemy will be forever overcome.

In the meantime, we who are indwelt by the Spirit of God can and will overcome the adversary.

b). we hear and listen to others who are born of God

Identical twins often have their own unique language, a communication pattern that is not shared by anyone else in their family of origin.

In a similar way all who are born of God - regardless of social, politcal, cultural, educational, or economic background - have a common language.

We who speak in the name of Jesus Christ - the One who has come and continues to reign - in the flesh can understand one another.

We may speak different languages, but just as God did on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit enables us to know and understand one another.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

In Winston there are more than one dozen churches. Among those churches are nearly as many denominations! And yet all of us claim that truth can be known.

By what criteria do we evaluate which church has a claim on truth?

I have been privileged to be acquainted with most of the pastors of churches in Winston, Dillard, and greater Douglas County.

My test of fellowship is not based on what times we meet on any given day of the week. Neither do I evaluate on the basis of musical styles. I try not to allow denominational labels to sway my thinking.

Rather here is the test I use, the test John offers:

1 John 4:2 HCSB

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

There are many areas where other pastors and I differ - politically we are not all on the same page; we have different ideas as to how to solve contemporary issues; we don’t always agree on the best response of our government when it comes to supporting democracies across the world; and on and on I could go.

The test of fellowship is nothing more and nothing less than this:

What say you about Jesus?

In the same way, that is our test as a gathering of believers:

We don’t ask about your political leanings; we don’t cater to one specific musical style; we have honest disagreements about the role of government in our world; and so on.

What binds us together:

1 John 4:2 HCSB

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.