February 2, 2016
Scripture Reading: 1 John 4:1-3
1Dear friends, 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. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but 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.
Questions for Reflection:
The early church was an interesting time. Believers were gathering in house churches throughout the Roman Empire. They gathered together and listened to the apostles teachings. They didn’t have copies of the Bible like we do today. They did not have a Bible app with multiple translations at their finger tip. If they were lucky, they might have a letter or two from one of the apostles. In the midst of this situation, men and women would come to the church claiming that the Spirit had told them something. Should they trust them? What if what they said caused problems in the church? How should the church respond?
John wrote to his church to give them some understanding for how they could discern between spirits from God and evil spirits. What primary command did John give his church with regards to these “spirit-filled” testimonies? What is the first test that John gives the church to recognize the Spirit of God against false spirits? Why is the life of Christ so important to John?
As we’ve read earlier in the book, the false teachers were denying the humanity of Jesus Christ. Why is it important that we fully believe that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God”? What’s at stake with this claim? NT Wright, a leading British New Testament scholar, explains:
For John, Jesus Christ was the anchor for accurate belief. He instructed his church to use Jesus as the litmus test for truth. We cannot simply just affirm something because it makes us feel good or because someone else claims to have heard from God. As Colin Kruse notes, “Believing every spirit would connote a certain gullibility.” If someone claims to have heard from God, how can you test what they are saying? A great beginning point is does their teaching draw you closer to Jesus? If it does not, it very likely is not from God.
One final note, the testing that John instructs the church to do was within the context of community. He is telling them as a church to discuss and talk about the issue with leadership and engaged minds. With our American independent spirits, we too often will make decisions based upon what we think without talking through the issues with others. The community was (and should continue to be) a safeguard against improper interpretation. Spend time today in prayer asking God for increased wisdom and discernment within your life. Ask Him to give you a greater appreciation for the role of the church in your life and the power of Jesus Christ’s life.