In life there are so many voices that all promise to give us something true. Even when it comes to church and our faith there are many different people who preach many different ideas about Jesus and salvation. In John’s day there were numerous false teachers who were vying for the hearts and minds of the church so in this passage he outlines how they can be sure that a message is true. Pastor Joe looks at John’s test and seeks to make it practical for today’s church.
1 John 4:1-6
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.They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.