Testing the Spirits | 1 John 4:1-3

There are best-selling books under the Christian genre whose writers deny the sufficiency of the Bible. These individuals claim to have unique experiences of hearing the voice of Christ, of which many Christians believe to be true and biblical. We live in a modern Dark Age- there is much information available to us, but many people are still in the darkness, unable to discern right from wrong. (2Tim 4:4) In a world laden with anxiety, fear, and confusion, as everyone seeks for something tangible that will provide comfort and peace, many false prophets have gone out to beguile masses with false teachings. Though we face constant calls towards wide ways that lead to hell, God fully equips His beloved church with His Word to discern what is of God, and what is not from God. In Apostle John’s letter to the church, three duties are outlined to help every believer remain faithful through the end times.

We must discern every spirit. Christians have the Spirit of God- we should not be deceived by believing every teaching, but rather, we must test every spirit with caution and discernment to see whether they are from God. Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples of false prophets, and throughout Scripture, men of God boldly confronted false teachers of their wicked ways. (Matt 7:15, 2Tim 4:14-15) We must likewise deliberately and carefully test every teaching we encounter, because while false prophets are all around us, it is often hard to detect whether they are from God. (2Cor 11:14)

We must examine by testing. Scripture is the foremost standard to determine what is wrong or right- it is the basis for biblical Christology along with every other doctrine of Christianity. We test every spirit by the Holy Spirit. (1Cor 12:3) Believing in Jesus Christ as Lord is impossible by man’s own understanding or will- it is a supernatural gift of God. How else can one explain the lives of martyrs, who willingly died for their faith in Christ? God puts His Spirit into man’s heart, where under any circumstance, he can not deny truth. The Holy Spirit’s only aim is to glorify Jesus, by opening the hearts of men to hear the voice of Christ through the Scriptures. (Jn 14:26) He continually compels us to go through the narrow gate of self-denying discipleship. Scripture is the only standard to discern any teaching by the Holy Spirit. (Jn 14:6, Matt 7:13-14)

We must know biblical Christology to discern whether a teaching is of God or of Satan. We must believe the God of the Old Testament was incarnated into the man of Jesus Christ. (Jn 20:28) He is the God-man who was crucified in our place for the law we had broken, and He is the only Savior who died and rose again as Lord of all. There is salvation in no other name, and while every other religion teaches salvation is by man’s works, God declares salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone. (Rom 10:9-10, Acts 25:19) All who deny Jesus’ humanity or deity will follow the antichrist. We must therefore stand firm, never ceasing to know Christ more.

We must stay vigilant. Apostle John declares that the spirit of the antichrist is now in the world. This fallen world is not a lasting home for the Christian. While we must be faithful in work, raising families, and daily dealings, the most important task is to remain vigilant in guarding ourselves against the evil one. (1Jn 5:19, 1Pet 5:8) Many great men and Christian institutions have fallen as they allowed false teachings to destroy the very foundation of their faith, leading them to deny the authority of Scripture. (Acts 20:29)

Today’s problems are not political, social, or cultural- they are all theological. The world has failed to test every spirit; it has turned away from the Lord. We are living in these end times, and Jesus has warned us that it will only get worse. Therefore, let us all the more be like the Bereans, examining the Scriptures daily to discern every spirit.(Acts 17:11) This is how we will remain faithful to the end.