The Christian life is marked by conflict. There is the conflict between truth and falsehood (1 John 2:18-28), the conflict between the children of God and the children of the devil (1 John 2:29-3:12), and the conflict between love and hatred (1 John 3:13-24). In 1 John 4:1-6, another conflict is depicted; between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
This conflict sets forth the crucial importance of having a sound Christology. It matters what one believes about Jesus. So, John urges his readers to test the spirits to determine their true identity (v.1), then gives them the guidelines for doing so (v.2-6).
Test the Spirits (v.1)
John gives his readers a command to stop believing the message of false teachers. Apparently, some of them were already accepting the message of these charlatans uncritically. He prohibits a gullibility prone to believe "every spirit" that claims to be from God. Although the false teachings manifest themselves in humans, John is talking about the supernatural beings that lead and inspire humans. He is warning against an attitude of personal acceptance and trust in the various spirits declaring their message through their human messengers.
John adds that an active practice must also accompany the prohibition. He tells them to stop believing false spirits, but rather test them to see if they are truly from God. In other words, Christians must examine everything we hear, see or read to determine if it originated from the Spirit of God or from demons before we accept it as truth. Of course, the only reliable way to test any teaching is to measure it against what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture.
Guideline for Testing the Spirits (v.2-3)
John has already indicated that behind every prophet stands a spirit, either the Spirit of God or the demonic spirit of antichrist (v.3). He has spoken of the need to test them, but how are they to be tested? How can one know whether the spirit is of God or of antichrist?
He could say a number of things as guidelines for how to discern a demonic spirit, but he focuses on just one. "What do they say about Christ?" Do they acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh or do they deny this? If they deny Christ, they are not of God no matter how marvelous their activity. In Christianity, the incarnate Christ is central. Therefore, believers are not to tolerate any system, teaching or teacher that denies either His eternal godhead or historical humanity. Compare Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 12:3:
F.F. Bruce said, "No matter how charming, how plausible, how eloquent the prophets in question may be, the test of their witness to Christ and His truth is the test by which they must be judged."
Guidelines for Testing Human Speakers (v.4-6)
Now John turns his attention to testing those through whom the spirits speak. His earlier distinction between the two kinds of spirits is now carried over into one between two kinds of men, those of God and those of the world. In verse 4, he reminds his readers of the identity of the true people of God. As true believers, they have their spiritual origins in God and carry on His work in the world. They have a personal relationship with God which the false teachers lack.
As such, John says that they have overcome the false teachers, and this gives evidence of their true identity. They have tested the false teachers, identified the nature of their teaching and have rejected them. They have effectively "overcome them." This implies that there was a time when the believers faced the false teachers and their alluring message, but then rejected it, resulting in victory over them.
Their victory is grounded in the victory over the prince of this world which Christ won on Calvary. One commentator said, "The battle has thus been decided, even if it is not yet over. By faith Christians participate in this victory and are thus placed in a position to overcome the world for themselves." (Gunther). And John reminds his readers of the true secret of their victory with, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
John's reference to 'he who is in the world' is clearly a reference to Satan, but he also says that false teachers are 'of the world'. This marks a fundamental difference between the false teaches and true believers. Being 'from the world' indicates their spiritual origins and personal allegiance. They belong to the godless world system of which Satan is the prince. And this is the evidence: "they speak as from the world and the world listens to them." In other words, their message appeals to the world. It arouses the interest of the world and stimulates its basic attitudes and desires.
Those who are of God and those who are of the world may be distinguished by their response or lack of response to the apostolic teaching. He says, "Whoever knows God listens to us (the Apostles); but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirits of truth and the spirit of falsehood."(v.6).
The tragedy of our time is that we do not have enough teachers who will proclaim and defend the doctrine of the Apostles. So, the truth is not clearly defined, and the way is not clearly illuminated. However, the doctrine of the Apostles, the only true doctrine of the church, illuminates it; and the incarnation of Christ defines and gives a focal point to that doctrine. It is for us to determine whether or not we believe that doctrine and to respond to it.
There is not three ways, according to John. There are not four, or five or ten. There are only two ways; the way of truth and the way of error, the way of Christ and the way of antichrist. We are called to serve Christ, and those who are truly of God will do so.
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, of which you have heard that it 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; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
This conflict sets forth the crucial importance of having a sound Christology. It matters what one believes about Jesus. So, John urges his readers to test the spirits to determine their true identity (v.1), then gives them the guidelines for doing so (v.2-6).
Test the Spirits (v.1)
John gives his readers a command to stop believing the message of false teachers. Apparently, some of them were already accepting the message of these charlatans uncritically. He prohibits a gullibility prone to believe "every spirit" that claims to be from God. Although the false teachings manifest themselves in humans, John is talking about the supernatural beings that lead and inspire humans. He is warning against an attitude of personal acceptance and trust in the various spirits declaring their message through their human messengers.
John adds that an active practice must also accompany the prohibition. He tells them to stop believing false spirits, but rather test them to see if they are truly from God. In other words, Christians must examine everything we hear, see or read to determine if it originated from the Spirit of God or from demons before we accept it as truth. Of course, the only reliable way to test any teaching is to measure it against what God has revealed about Himself in Scripture.
Guideline for Testing the Spirits (v.2-3)
John has already indicated that behind every prophet stands a spirit, either the Spirit of God or the demonic spirit of antichrist (v.3). He has spoken of the need to test them, but how are they to be tested? How can one know whether the spirit is of God or of antichrist?
He could say a number of things as guidelines for how to discern a demonic spirit, but he focuses on just one. "What do they say about Christ?" Do they acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh or do they deny this? If they deny Christ, they are not of God no matter how marvelous their activity. In Christianity, the incarnate Christ is central. Therefore, believers are not to tolerate any system, teaching or teacher that denies either His eternal godhead or historical humanity. Compare Paul's admonition in 1 Corinthians 12:3:
Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, 'Jesus be cursed,' and no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit."
F.F. Bruce said, "No matter how charming, how plausible, how eloquent the prophets in question may be, the test of their witness to Christ and His truth is the test by which they must be judged."
Guidelines for Testing Human Speakers (v.4-6)
Now John turns his attention to testing those through whom the spirits speak. His earlier distinction between the two kinds of spirits is now carried over into one between two kinds of men, those of God and those of the world. In verse 4, he reminds his readers of the identity of the true people of God. As true believers, they have their spiritual origins in God and carry on His work in the world. They have a personal relationship with God which the false teachers lack.
As such, John says that they have overcome the false teachers, and this gives evidence of their true identity. They have tested the false teachers, identified the nature of their teaching and have rejected them. They have effectively "overcome them." This implies that there was a time when the believers faced the false teachers and their alluring message, but then rejected it, resulting in victory over them.
Their victory is grounded in the victory over the prince of this world which Christ won on Calvary. One commentator said, "The battle has thus been decided, even if it is not yet over. By faith Christians participate in this victory and are thus placed in a position to overcome the world for themselves." (Gunther). And John reminds his readers of the true secret of their victory with, "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
John's reference to 'he who is in the world' is clearly a reference to Satan, but he also says that false teachers are 'of the world'. This marks a fundamental difference between the false teaches and true believers. Being 'from the world' indicates their spiritual origins and personal allegiance. They belong to the godless world system of which Satan is the prince. And this is the evidence: "they speak as from the world and the world listens to them." In other words, their message appeals to the world. It arouses the interest of the world and stimulates its basic attitudes and desires.
Those who are of God and those who are of the world may be distinguished by their response or lack of response to the apostolic teaching. He says, "Whoever knows God listens to us (the Apostles); but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirits of truth and the spirit of falsehood."(v.6).
The tragedy of our time is that we do not have enough teachers who will proclaim and defend the doctrine of the Apostles. So, the truth is not clearly defined, and the way is not clearly illuminated. However, the doctrine of the Apostles, the only true doctrine of the church, illuminates it; and the incarnation of Christ defines and gives a focal point to that doctrine. It is for us to determine whether or not we believe that doctrine and to respond to it.
There is not three ways, according to John. There are not four, or five or ten. There are only two ways; the way of truth and the way of error, the way of Christ and the way of antichrist. We are called to serve Christ, and those who are truly of God will do so.