Test the spirits to see whether they are from God

1 John 4 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because 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 have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

⁷ Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 says: The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the understanding of those who have understanding, I will confound.”  Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and the weakness of God is stronger than mankind. This is why it is pointless to debate the things of God with those who trust in the wisdom of the world. Those who trust the wisdom of the world would believe that all of creation, its magnitude and intricacy came about by chance, through a series of random accidents and occurrences, rather than by the intention and wisdom of God. The idea of creation by God is foolishness to them, but the foolishness of God is wiser than mankind, and the weakness of God is stronger than mankind. Still, although creation itself is evidence of a creator, many prefer to trust in the wisdom and speculation of man.  

Today’s text says: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.  Even among those who confess Jesus, there can be false and deceptive spirits. In Matthew 24:4-5;11-12 Jesus says: “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people… And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.”  Some may say that Jesus is the Christ, but their confession is not that He came in the flesh, but rather that if He were here today He would embrace the deeds of the flesh. They say that Jesus would condone the lawlessness of our society and culture. They mislead many people and cause the love of many to grow cold. 1 John 4:19 says: We love because He first loved us. When our love is not based in a response to God’s love demonstrated and given on the cross, it grows cold. Jesus died to redeem us from sin, not so that we could continue in it. The world will confess that each person can have their own truth, but opinions and feelings are not truth. John 17:17 says: Your word is truth. We know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, by whether it is in agreement with God’s word.

The text says: By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. Love is more than an emotion or feeling. It is an attribute of God. We only know true love if we remain in Him. Those in our society who fan the flames of hatred, division and fear do not know God. Although they claim to want unity, the fruit of their words and actions are division and fear. Again, in Matthew 24:9-11 Jesus warns: “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.” 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Thank You heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ, that You have given us Your Spirit so that we would know the truth. Amen.