1 John 4:1-6 Greater
1 John 4:1-6 (Evangelical Heritage Version)
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world. 4You are from God, dear children, and you have overcome the false prophets, because the one in you is greater than the one in the world. 5They are from the world. That is why they speak from a worldly perspective and the world listens to them. 6We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we can distinguish between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Greater
I.
It was such a beautiful place with so much cultural diversity. So many good things come from a place that is a center of commerce. Many centuries before it was common in most parts of the world, many homes in the area had running water, some even had heated bathrooms. People living elsewhere might not have even known such luxuries of life existed, or were even possible. So many cultures colliding brought great advancement in technology.
Because of all that cultural diversity, the city was a tourist magnet. People came from all over to see the sculptures. There was a thriving community of the arts in general, like the theater. Cultural diversity also means religious diversity. There were any number of unusual religions. One of the most prominent forms of religion was devoted to fertility gods. The free expression of any form of human sexuality was encouraged. It was part of the culture, in the theater and the arts, and in the religious worship scene. There was even a house of prostitution centrally located for the convenience of residents and visitors alike.
John wrote to the people of God who were living in such a place. The city was called Ephesus. Paul wrote a letter to the believers living there. In fact, Paul’s words in the First Reading for today from Acts were to the pastors and church leaders from the city of Ephesus.
There are so many benefits to living in a culture with so much diversity. You get to enjoy the advances in technology. There is an abundance of ethnic foods to sample and enjoy. There are great opportunities for entertainment.
But there are so many challenges for the people of God who live in such a place, too. The cultural rot surrounds you. No matter where you look, there are things that challenge your faith.
II.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1, EHV). John had noticed, of course, all the “cultural diversity” of the city of Ephesus. He knew what a challenge it is to notice all those things and become enticed by some of them.
Test the spirits, John said. Test them all. Whether it’s a religious system, values, philosophy, or whatever, any of them can lull you and suck you in. All of them want to control you—what you think, what you see as important in your life, what you are going to rely on.
Throughout his whole First Letter, John uses terms of endearment for the Christians living in Ephesus. Terms like “dear children,” or “children of God,” or “dear friends.” He is very concerned about how Christians everywhere are going to keep their faith alive in the face of the kind of cultural diversity that contains so much that is opposed to Christianity.
Cultural diversity. Technological advancement. Modern America is not really so different from Ephesus in John’s day. Indoor plumbing and central heating and cooling are no longer rare luxuries, they are things most of us take for granted. Technological advancements far beyond those are things we use and enjoy every day. It’s hard to imagine a day before the information age, where everything you might want to know is at your fingertips.
“Test the spirits” remains a truism for our culture, too. So many societal norms push back against our Christian faith and threaten it.
When Jesus stood before him in his court, Pontius Pilate asked him: “What is truth?” That concept is alive and well today. “That’s your truth, this is my truth.” I am what I believe I am. I am whatever and whoever I identify as today. Who are you to challenge my truth? The spirit of truth in the modern era seems to be an ever-shifting standard. Those who claim there is such a thing as “the truth” are labeled as intolerant, or bigots.
The spirit of immorality was strong in Ephesus, with it’s prominently located brothel. That spirit is no weaker today. Every sexual preference imaginable is on display with no sense of shame. Those who point to God’s standard of one man and one woman united for life in marriage are prudes—or worse.
The spirits of intimidation and compromise insist that it’s more important to be politically correct than biblically correct. Christianity in general—at least, so-called “traditional” Christianity—will likely be seen to be out-of-step with the spirit of the age, so it is to be attacked. Then within Christianity there comes a challenge to agree to disagree about biblical doctrine. Christians, they say, should all stick together, despite their differences, against the immorality of the world.
“Many false prophets have gone out into the world,” says John. It isn’t just the false prophets of pop-culture or non-Christian religions, it’s also those within Christianity that twist God’s pure word for their own purposes.
III.
What do you look for as you test these various spirits, both within and outside the church? “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God” (1 John 4:2-3, EHV).
It’s all about Jesus. He is the reason we gather here today, and every week. We gather here to be reminded that God knew about all the cultural rot that would affect our souls. He knew that we would be tempted by it, and even sucked into it. He knew that we could not do the one thing he requires of all human beings: be perfect, as he, our Heavenly Father, is perfect.
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Every year we read a Gospel selection from John where Jesus is talking about himself as the Good Shepherd in some way. There are three different emphases, depending on the year. Year A emphasizes the Savior’s voice—the sheep know the voice of their Good Shepherd. Year C emphasizes that those who do not believe in the Good Shepherd do not listen to him. This year is Year B, which emphasizes the Good Shepherd laying down his life for the sheep. All three readings are in John chapter 10.
This year’s emphasis was Jesus laying down his life for the sheep—for us. God knew that you and I could not be perfect, as he so righteously and rightfully demands. So he sent Jesus to be perfect for us. After being perfect as our substitute, Jesus laid down his life as the sacrifice for us, just as he said in today’s Gospel.
Something interesting takes place in the verses of John chapter 10 just after all three Good Shepherd Sunday readings. The Jews, after they listened to all this talk about the Good Shepherd, prepared to stone Jesus. When Jesus asked them why, they replied: “We are not going to stone you for a good work... but for blasphemy, because although you are a man, you make yourself out to be God” (John 10:33, EHV).
Even when it is right there in front of their faces, worldly people can’t believe the truth. They won’t believe the truth. They want nothing to do with the Good Shepherd. They could not confess Jesus is from God, which showed that they themselves were not from God.
“Every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world” (1 John 4:3, EHV). Most of the world misunderstands the term Antichrist. They think this means some power that opposes God, but that isn’t what it means. Antichrist is a person or entity that altars the basic confession of faith in Christ. In other words, John is referring to false doctrine; all false doctrine is destructive of faith. The Antichrist is the one big entity that does this, but all who teach false doctrine do so in the same spirit.
False doctrine is like cancer; there is no amount that is acceptable. It must be cut out, or it threatens faith. This is why John said it is so important to test the spirits.
IV.
“You are from God, dear children, and you have overcome the false prophets, because the one in you is greater than the one in the world” (1 John 4:4, EHV).
It is so important to John that believers test the spirits because you, believer, are from God. You have overcome the false prophets. How have you done that? Because the One in you is greater than the one in the world.
Jesus is greater than all those spirits in the world. Greater than the cultural diversity. Greater than tantalizing technology. Greater than shifting standards of truth. Greater than immoral sexual preferences. Greater than the spirit of political correctness. Greater than the spirit of doctrinal compromise to tempt Christians to go along to get along. He is greater than every spirit that would seek to overcome us in this world.
Jesus is greater because he is our Good Shepherd. He sacrificed himself for us. He gathers us together as his own. He protects us from the assaults of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh. He calls each one of us by name because he knows the needs of each one, individually.
Jesus is greater than anything that can possibly threaten you. Lean on him. Rely on him. Use the words he has given you to continue to test the spirits. Test the spirits of the world against the greater words of Jesus to discern what is best for you. Test the spirits of the church against the greater words of Jesus to make sure those who speak God’s Word to you do not twist it or deny it. Stay firm in your faith in Jesus, because the One in you is greater. Amen.