Spiritual Discernment

Please turn to 1 John 4:1-6 as we look at Spiritual Discernment.

We are now about two-thirds of the way in our study of John’s first epistle. I sure hope you have enjoyed this study as much as I have. We are actually getting pretty close to the homestretch; we should be finished with this study toward the end of September. Then our present plan is to take a journey of thankfulness as we work through various psalms of thanksgiving.

In today’s world there are so many Bible teachers out there who have become famous because of mass media. Some of these teachers are very sound — and it is because of their commitment to biblical truth that they have become famous. John MacArthur, who recently passed away, has stood out as one who is absolutely committed to biblical truth. I wonder who from a younger generation will pick up the banner of truth which MacArthur valiantly waved?

Other teachers are famous because their positive message draws crowds of people who are wanting to feel good about themselves. Back in 2004-2005, when we were members of the Fort Kent Bible Church, and I was teaching music in local public school system, there was a family who attended church for a few weeks and then stopped coming. Gail, my wife, ran into the wife at the grocery store and told her how much she missed seeing their family at church. The wife’s response was that she got tired of hearing about how bad she was. She wanted to walk away from church feeling good about herself and not feeling bad.

The thing is that the gospel of Jesus Christ has some very bad news associated with the good news. Outside of Christ we are sinners in the hands of an angry God. We are bound for hell because of our own sin, and because of the sin nature which was passed down to us from Adam. But in Christ we who have placed our faith and trust in Him are forgiven, redeemed, made righteous, and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. As Jesus once stated, He didn’t come to call the righteous (that is the self-righteous) but sinners to repentance. On the one hand all are sinners, and so all have been called to repentance. On the other hand, not everyone acknowledges that they are a sinner. Most people seem to think that as long a the good they have done outweighs the bad, then they are worthy of heaven.

The need for spiritual discernment was evident in John’s day. False teachers had come along and challenged the apostolic message in many ways. Some challenged Christ’s humanity. Others challenged His deity. Still others challenged His resurrection from the dead. Cerinthus, one of the leading teachers who opposed the apostolic message, taught that God was not he Creator of this world. Perhaps he was an influence for Charles Darwin. Anyway, he also taught that Jesus was born by natural means, and was just a regular man until the Spirit of Christ descended on Him at His baptism. Then the Spirit of Christ left Him before His death. This was dangerous stuff and it led to a lot of people questioning the apostolic message, as well as questioning the validity of their faith in Christ.

Throughout this epistle, the aged apostle has been drawing a distinction between the false and the true, and nowhere in this epistle is the distinction any greater than in our passage for today. As we work through this passage we will consider who to trust, the discernment test, the spirit of antichrist, overcomers, and the authority of the false teachers as opposed to that of the apostles.

First, let’s read through our passage.

1 John 4:1–6 ESV

1 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. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 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. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Let’s begin by looking at

Who to Trust

Note that,

We Should Not Believe Every Preacher or Teacher that we Hear

As a matter of fact, you should not believe everything I tell you without checking it against the Word of God. While I am not a false teacher, I am human and I am subject to err. I do my best to diligently prepare and deliver an accurate accounting of the text I am preaching, as the charge which is found in

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

But still, there is always the human factor that needs to be accounted for.

Look at verse 1.

1 John 4:1 ESV

1 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.

The first thing I want you to notice is that John refers to his audience as being beloved. They are loved ones because they belong to the family of God. They are brothers and sisters in Christ. He is not writing to unbelieves, but to believers. And as a big brother may rightly be concerned about his younger siblings welfare, so John is concerned for his brothers and sisters who are under attack by the spiritual enemies of Christ.

Next, John tells them to stop believing every spirit. The phrase do not believe every spirit is an imperative command. Do you remember what I’ve told you about imperative commands? They are not an option, they are a command. And further, they are an expression of God’s will for the life of a believer in Jesus Christ. John Stott wrote, “It is important to observe that the command to believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ (3:23) is followed by the prohibition do not believe every spirit, much as the command to love our brothers and sisters (2:7–11) was followed by the prohibition ‘do not love the world or anything in the world’ (2:15). Neither Christian believing nor Christian loving is to be indiscriminate. In particular, Christian faith is not to be mistaken for credulity (being naive). True faith examines its object before placing confidence in it.” (John R. W. Stott, The Letters of John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 19, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 153.)

Why does John use the term “spirits” for false teachers? Because true false teachers are controlled by a spiritual being — that is a demon, a minion of Satan. Presently in our congregation, to the best of my knowledge, we have about ten people who teach on a regular or semi-regular basis. What we say may be false due to human error. But we are not false teachers because the only Spirit being who indwells us is the Holy Spirit. He will not allow a demon to take up residence within us.

But through the ages there have been many demon controlled people who have tried to infiltrate the church with their demonic message. Jesus warned of such teachers from the very earliest days of His public ministry.

Matthew 7:15–16 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

These are the type of false teachers John is speaking of.

Why is this issue so important to John? Because many false prophets have gone out into the world. There were many false prophets who sought to deceive the people of Israel in the OT. And there have been many since the time of Christ as well.

The sad truth is that I have known many people who are not mature enough in their faith and in the biblical knowledge to discern a true teacher from a false teacher. Many people think that if a Christian Bookstore carries a book it must be good. Or if a Christian Radio or TV station airs a preacher then he must be good. But that just isn’t the case. It used to be that most Christian media groups were owned by Christians. But now most have been purchased by secular conglomerates who recognize the amount of money they can make off of Christians. So, they market what will sell rather than what is true.

Let’s move on to consider

The Discernment Test

In our text, John puts forward a very simple discernment test. Note that

Who is Jesus?

Look at verse 2-3.

1 John 4:2–3 ESV

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

There are many groups out there who claim to believe in Jesus, and yet the Jesus they believe in is not the Jesus as represented in the Bible. The Muslims believe in Jesus. They believe that He was something more than an ordinary man — they put Him on a level with the prophet Muhammad. But they do not believe that Jesus is the Incarnate Son of God.

Both the The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus. But neither group acknowledges the deity of Christ. Like Cerinthus of old, Jesus, to these, is something more than a normal, everyday man, but something less than God.

Spurgeon wrote, “Any doctrine that dishonors Christ—whether in His person, or His offices, or His atonement, or in any other way—you may at once conclude is not from God, for that which comes from the Spirit of God glorifies Christ.” (Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Commentary: 1 John, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), 1 Jn 4:2.)

Notice that John emphasizes the truth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is an extremely important doctrine. Some false teachers taught that since flesh is evil and God is totally separate from evil, it was therefore, impossible that God could become flesh. They taught that if Jesus was God, then He only appeared to be human, but was actually a spiritual emanation. John combated that idea in the opening of the letter.

1 John 1:1 ESV

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—

One of the ways in which we can discern if a person is a false teacher is by whom they say that Jesus is. Let’s move from the discernment test to

The spirit of antichrist

Note that,

The Opposition to Jesus has Never Been More Rampant than it is Today

Look at verse 3.

1 John 4:3 ESV

3 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.

As I said before, when John refers to antichrist he is not referring to a specific individual. He is referring to an idea or attitude of Jesus. All of the mob protest which we have seen this decade are evidence of the spirit of anitchrist, especially the anti-Semitic protests. As they old saying goes, “the devil is in the details,” this is literally true. He is the one who is stirring up opposition to his greatest enemy. Satan certainly knows that he cannot defeat Christ, but he wants to keep as many people as possible from following Jesus.

More powerful than mob rule are false teachers. Satan may use them to incite a mob. But more often he works in subtle ways. He seeks to present a message which seems familiar and truthful, but he mixes enough error in it to lead people astray. These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing which Jesus referred to. And the way the false teachers were leading people astray in John’s day had to do with the doctrine of Christ. Spurgeon wrote, “If there is any question raised about the deity and the humanity of Christ, do not listen any longer. When you taste the first morsel of meat from a joint, and you find that it is tainted, there is no need for you to eat all the rest to see if it is good. If any man questions the true divinity and the real humanity of Christ, have nothing to do with him, and give no heed to what he says. He ‘is not from God.’” (Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Commentary: 1 John, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), 1 Jn 4:3.)

So far we have looked at who we can trust, the discernment test, and the spirit of anitchrist. Let’s turn our attention now to

Overcomers United

Note that,

While We do not Have the Power to Stand Against the Enemy, the Holy Spirit Who Dwells in us Does

A few years ago I saw this Tee-shirt that I loved. It simply states “I can’t but I know a Guy!”

Though we personally do not have the power to overcome Satan and his dark forces, Christ has all power and authority. Look at verse four.

1 John 4:4 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them,

Notice first that John, once again, address them as little children. This seems to be his favorite way to address those who have been born again into the family of God.

Next, John acknowledges that this church has, up to this point, been victorious in their fight against the false teachers. Boice wrote, “First, he says that they have overcome the false teachers. He is not referring to a physical contest by these words, nor even to a struggle in the area of morality. It is rather an intellectual battle in which the Christians have been victorious. The false teachers had been seeking to deceive these believers, but they had not succeeded. Merely by testing them and refusing to be taken in by their lies, the Christians have conquered.” (James Montgomery Boice, The Epistles of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004), 110.)

I have stated before that I believe the church John is addressing in this epistle is the Church of Ephesus. Just a few years later, Jesus Christ dictated these words to John in an address to this very church.

Revelation 2:1–3 ESV

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

Yes, this church had overcome the teaching of these false teachers. How is it that they were able to be overcomers? Was it because of their ingenuity in combatting false teaching? Was it because of their superior intellect? Was it that they were seasoned soldiers of Christ who knew well how to use their spiritual armor? Though all of these things might have aided them, it wasn’t because of themselves that they were able to be victorious. It was because of who was living in them. Look at verse 4 again.

1 John 4:4 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Not only is it important to recognize the deity of Christ, we must also recognize the deity of the Holy Spirit. This may be a bit of a rabbit trail, but there is a dangerous teaching out there called modalism. Such teachers deny the Holy Trinity. While they acknowledge that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are divine, they do not believe that they are distinct persons. The believe that sometimes God appears in the mode of the Father. Other times He appears in the mode of the Son. And still other times He appears in the mode of the Holy Spirit. Those who teach this seem to forget that all three persons of the Godhead appeared at the baptism of Jesus. Jesus was there as the one whom John dunked under in the waters of baptism. The Father spoke from heaven in a mighty, thunderous voice stating that Jesus was His beloved Son, with whom He is well pleased. And the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. This heresy goes all the way back to the third century, if not before. A priest by the name of Sabellius promoted this theory, which was soundly rejected by the church as a whole.

Sadly, this heresy has returned in modern Christianity and is promoted by certain Pentecostal groups such as the Apostolics and the United Pentecostals. These groups are sometimes referred to as Oneness Pentecostals. I’m not usually one to name names, but these churches which teach heresy are dangerous, in my mind.

Back to our text, John wants his readers to understand the He who is in you in greater than he who is in the world. The Holy Spirit resides within each and every believer in Jesus Christ. John had previously referred to the Holy Spirit as the anointing which they had received.

1 John 2:20 ESV

20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

1 John 2:27 ESV

27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

The One who resides within us is fully God. The one who is in the world is Satan. And God is so far greater than the one who is in the world.

We who are believers are overcomers because of the One who resides within us. We are overcomers united, because we are united in one Spirit, and are members of the family of God. Let’s turn our attention now to

The Authority Factor

Note that,

The World and Its Leaders will Always Fall in Step with Its Ruler

Look at verse 5.

1 John 4:5 ESV

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.

The “they” refers to the false teachers and prophets. Remember that they were once a part of the church but then they left it.

1 John 2:19 ESV

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

They were not of us because they did not adhere to the apostolic message. These false teachers may be compared to the tares in the field of wheat which was sown by the enemy. They may also be compared to the seed which was sown on rocky soil. It sprouted right away, but then it withered and died away since it was not planted in good soil.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to incite a mob? We’ve seen it over and over again in these past years. It is easy to do so because both the inciters and the incitees belong to the world. Therefore, they listen to what other members of the world have to say.

Note next that,

Those Who Belong to Christ Need to Hold Fast to His Word

Look at verse 6.

1 John 4:6 ESV

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The “we” in this verse are the apostles. They spoke with the authority of Christ — after all, they were eyewitnesses of His life, works, teaching, death, and resurrection. Whoever is born of God will listen to and embrace the apostolic message (not the errant church called Apostolics, but the teaching of the NT).

To this very church, Paul wrote these words about how the Gentiles who had previously been alienated from God, had now been made fellow citizens of heaven along with Jewish believers. This mysterious new body is the church which is

Ephesians 2:20 ESV

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

The phrase "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" is a metaphor from the New Testament, describing the Church as a building. It signifies that the Christian faith is established on the teachings and writings of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. 

Note that,

The Apostolic Message is the Foundation of Truth which Must be Grasped, Embraced, Published, Preserved, and Guarded by True Believers in Jesus Christ

The message must first be grasped in order to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Next it must be embraced as true. The grasping and the embracing have to do with salvation. The next steps are related to sanctification. We should be publishing the Message (not merely through printed books) as we share it with others. We need to preserve the message against false teaching and false claims. And we need to guard the message of the gospel, as the message itself guard us.

I’m not sure if you picked up on a second discernment test which John put forward in verses 5-6.

1 John 4:5–6 ESV

5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

We can know to whom a person belongs by whom they listen to. If they listen to the world, then they are form the world. If they listen to the apostolic message, they are from God.

This morning, we have looked at the importance of knowing who you can trust as it relates to spiritual teaching. We have seen one test which John used in his day — who does the teacher say that Jesus is? John’s second test which came a little later in the text was that if a person listened believingly to the apostolic message, then they were from God. But if they listen to the world, they are from the world. We have considered the spirit of antichrist which denies the deity and or, humanity of Christ. We have looked at how we are able to overcome false teachers because of who dwells within us. And we have looked at where the various groups derive their authority. The false teachers derive their authority from the world which is ruled by Satan. The apostles derived their authority from God.

Believers, it is imperative for us to be studying the word of God so that we will not be naive to the teachings of false teachers who are rampant in our world. The best way to know the truth is not by studying that which is false, but by studying that which is true. It is not enough just to be instructed in the word once a week in church. We all need to be students of the word on a regular, daily basis.

For any here who are not believers, I encourage you to read through one of the gospel accounts and see for yourself who Jesus was and is. Then I encourage you to believe in Him and rely on His person and His work for your salvation.

Let’s pray.

Father in Heaven,

I pray that Your Spirit, who lives within us, will help to discern truth from error. Help us to identify the false teachers whom the enemy is using to try to lead us, and others astray from the truth of Your word. Help those of us who are more mature in Your word to be helping those who are less mature to understand Your truths.

Lord, I pray for any here who are not yet believers in Jesus Christ — I pray that Christ, as the Good Shepherd, would seek them, and find them, and bring them into His fold.

I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Closing Song #405

My faith has found a resting place

Not in device or creed:

I trust the ever living One

His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

My heart is leaning on the Word

The written Word of God:

Salvation by my Savior’s name

Salvation thru His blood.

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.