August 17 2021

Today, Tuesday August 17

“Do Not Believe….” 1 John 4:1-4

“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. 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 heard was coming and now is in the world already. 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.”

In the passage before us today we should make several applications to our hearts and lives. First we need to always beware and alert to the fact that there are false teachers that are empowered and inspired by false spirits that do not come from God. They are deceitfully telling us lies that sound like the truth.

Peter warned us to be vigilant and alert because our adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking to deceive and devour us. (1 Peter 5) So, John tells us here to “test the spirits” to make sure they are from God. How do we test the spirits?

Over the next several days we will be talking about three foundation facts about God that we find in this epistle. We test the spirits by putting what they say or are leading us to believe up next to these truths about God and see if they match. And usually it all boils down to what they are leading us to believe about Jesus Christ and His deity. (vs. 2-3)

The three foundational facts that we find about God in this epistle are: God is light (1 John 1:5); God is Spirit (1 John 4:24); and God is love (1 John 4:8). And all three of these truths and facts are made manifest and revealed in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. We see these truths expressed in His birth, in His life for thirty-three years on earth, and in His death and resurrection.

We are assured that God’s Holy Spirit always teaches us the truth about Jesus and His deity. We can overcome the false teaching of the false prophets and preachers because “greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world” (v. 4). We are promised overcoming victory against all false spirits and teaching as we truly know Who God really is!

Do you know Him today? If not, you can seek and find Him in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Word, the Bible!

God bless!