daily bible readings

In 1 John 4:1 we are commanded to test the Spirits. The question immediately rises in our minds, “How do you test the spirits?” Some have argued in the past that the presence of the miraculous and supernatural is a sure sign that the prophet is from God.  But, even the evil one and his minions can do miracles. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” In Matthew 7:21ff, Jesus made it clear that the presence of great miracles and fantastical prophecies is not necessarily a sign that the purveyor is from God.

John does not tell us to look for the miraculous or the supernatural. As an aside, nor does he ever tell us to avoid the miraculous and supernatural. Testing the spirits boils down to the question of Christ Jesus. 1 John 4:2–3  is plain and clear. “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

John’s test has both a positive and negative expression, as is also the case with the similar test put forth by Paul in 1 Corinthians: “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3). The positive side acknowledges Jesus as coming in the flesh while the negative side does not acknowledge Jesus.

The word acknowledge is key here. In the English language, “acknowledge” can be misleading. We can acknowledge someone or something without necessarily believing or following that person or thing. “Acknowledge” can mean to give mental assent to something without commitment or agreement. But, the original Greek word used by John means a confession and acceptance of some truth. It is more a confession of faith rather than a mental assent to the truth.

As James Montgomery Boice concludes (p109), “Here Dodd makes an excellent observation, contrasting this passage with the test of a true prophet in Deuteronomy 13. “The fundamental doctrine of Judaism is monotheism; no utterance, however inspired, which contradicts the principle of monotheism can be accepted as true prophecy. The fundamental doctrine of Christianity is the Incarnation; no utterance, however inspired, which denies the reality of the Incarnation, can be accepted by Christians as true prophecy.” In Christianity the incarnate Christ is central. Consequently, believers may tolerate no system that denies either his eternal godhead or historical humanity. As Bruce says, “No matter how charming, how plausible, how eloquent the prophets in question may be, the test of their witness to Christ and His truth is the test by which they must be judged.”

Thus, those who acknowledge or confess Jesus as the Messiah who has come from God will lead God’s people to worship in Spirit and truth, in reverence and awe. They will proclaim the truth. Those who do not confess Jesus as being the Messiah from God will not lead God’s people in paths of righteousness. They will have another agenda, often a secret or hidden agenda. By their fruit we will know them.

God’s people are forewarned and forearmed. They have everything they need for life and godliness. And, as people bring a Word from God to them, they are ready and able to discern the truth. Praise be to God!

Prayer: 

Adoration:

• Adore God that He is loving and compassionate towards us.
• Adore God that He has equipped the church to do His work in the world.

Confession:

• Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for His forgiveness.

Thanks:

• Thank God that you have the means to test the spirits and to discern what is good and what is not.
• Thank God that His Holy Spirit is actively at work in the true Church equipping and strengthening the Church by giving spiritual gifts as He wills to the believers.

Supplication:

• Pray that God would grow each believer in your congregation in the Word so that they would be able to discern the difference between right and wrong and that they would be able to live out the truth in their daily lives.
• Pray that your church would be a discerning church, willing and able to stand on the truth of God’s Word.

Discussion Questions

1. Describe how you would have tested the sprites in the past.
2. What false teachings have had to be tested by the church in the recent past in Australia?
3. What can be done if a large portion of the Church visible is accepting some false teaching from the world?