Test the Spirits! They Are Not All from God!

In 2013, Christian rapper Shai Linne stirred quite a controversy with his song "Fal$e Teacher$." It is a critique of the prosperity gospel, and in it he does the unacceptable in our hypertolerant/noncritical day: he names names. In the song, Shai particularly calls on Christians outside of America not to be deceived by these "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matt 7:15) who export their heresies around the world. He says,

Don't be deceived by this funny biz,

if you come to Jesus for money, then he's not your God,

money is!

Jesus is not a means to an end, the Gospel is.

He came to redeem us from sin, and that is the message

forever I yell!

If you're living your best life now you're heading for hell!

Turn off TBN, that channel is overrated.

The pastors speak bogus statements, financially motivated.

It's kind of like a pyramid scheme.

Visualize heretics Christianizing the American dream.

It's foul and deceitful, they're lying to people,

teaching that camels squeeze through the eye of a needle!

John Piper via Twitter said of the song, "My, my, Shai, this is good."

92Calling out and identifying false teachers is neither fun nor popular. It is, however, both biblical and necessary. They are often more dangerous and more plentiful than many Christians realize. The apostle John makes that clear in 1 John 4:1-6. In words similar to those he penned earlier in 2:18-27, the last living apostle draws a contrast between true prophets and false prophets, the true Christ and antichrists, and that which is of the Spirit of God and that which is of the spirits of this world. Six times he will use the phrase "from God" and six times he will use the phrase "the world." Amazingly, those who are of "the world" and not "from God" have worked their way into the churches. Again we are reminded that our greatest dangers are not from without but from within. Therefore we must "test the spirits" (v. 1) because they are not all from God. John provides a fourfold test we must take. This exam is more important than any you will ever take in any school. Its results are of eternal significance.

Are You Following False Prophets?

Are You Following False Prophets?

1 John 4:1

John again begins with a word of affection and love: "Dear friends" (Gk agapetoi). He deeply cares for these brothers and sisters in Christ and he is very much aware that danger is lurking about, possibly within. John wants them to be aware of the fact that not every spiritual teacher is a credible teacher. There are spiritual deceivers and liars out there, and they work hard to earn our trust, our allegiance. So John says, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God." Both "believe" and "test" are imperatives calling for continuous action and vigilance. Further, the word "test" carries the idea of putting something to rigorous examination to discover its genuineness. And "do not believe" and "test" are in the plural. This is a churchwide community responsibility. We are all to be doctrine detectives, theological investigators!

Our goal is to determine if these prophets are from God or if their origin is to be found in another source, in a different kind of spirit. John's point is straightforward: Behind every prophet, every proclamation, there is an energizing spirit. Their message will inform us as to the origin and source of their message. They are not all from God. Watch! Listen! Test! Here a healthy dose of "spiritual skepticism" is warranted. In fact, it is essential for the health and well-being of the Christian community. And note, these false prophets (Gk pseudoprophetai) 93are everywhere: "many ... have gone out into the world." They are demonically inspired missionaries on satanic assignment. They are not simply guilty of theological error; they are guilty of theological heresy!

False prophets are not new to John's readers. They have been around for a very long time.

There is a tendency with most people to ascribe any unusual phenomenon to God. Such a lack of discernment opens the door for false teaching and provides an opportunity for demonic activity to invade94 the church. Remember: spiritual or religious activity is not necessarily godly activity! Watch and wait. Look and listen. Evaluate the message and the messenger by the Word of God. False prophets are deceptive in their message. And they have their own Great Commission, having been sent out "into the world."

You cannot say, "I was never warned." Jesus warned us (Matt 7:15; 24:11, 14; Mark 13:21-23). Paul warned us (Acts 20:28-30). Peter warned us (2 Pet 2:1-22). Jude warned us (Jude 4-19). Where there is truth, error will be lurking in the background. Be on the lookout.

Are You Confessing the True Jesus?

Are You Confessing the True Jesus?

1 John 4:2-3

In The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Lesslie Newbigin writes,

The gospel is news of what has happened. The problem of communicating it in a pluralist society is that it simply disappears into the undifferentiated ocean of information. It represents one opinion among millions of others. It cannot be "the truth," since in a pluralist society truth is not one but many. It may be "true for you," but it cannot be true for everyone. To claim that it is true for everyone is simply arrogance. It is permitted as one opinion among many. (The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 242)

Once again John makes it plain that Christianity is rooted and grounded in "the Christological question": What do you believe about Jesus? If He is just another enlightened religious teacher, He is permitted and tolerated as one opinion, one option, among many. If, however, He is the very incarnation of God, then the gospel and only the gospel is true and He is the only viable option for salvation amid the multitude of imposters.

Testing the spirits of verse 1 is greatly aided by asking "the Jesus question" of verses 2 and 3. "This is how you know," recognize, come to understand, "the Spirit of God" and those who bear His gospel message. Verse 2 puts the issue in a positive light and verse 3 in the negative. What confession bears witness to the presence of the Spirit of God? It is this: "Jesus Christ [the Messiah of God] has come [perf. tense] in the flesh [He is the incarnation of God]." Such a confession is not mere words or 95some glib statement. It is heartfelt, mind-engaged, and soul-committed. It is on this truth that authentic Christianity stands or falls—that there was a true, genuine, and permanent wedding of deity and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ, God's only Son.

The Spirit of God always honors Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said in John 16:14 concerning the Spirit, "He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you." If there is no glorifying of Jesus as God incarnate then there is no Spirit of God present. Amazingly, even demons got it right and recognized the deity of Jesus while He walked on earth, though they certainly did not worship Him for it (Mark 1:24; 3:4; 5:7-8). Tragically, demons have a better theology than do some professing Christians, pastors, teachers, and theologians.

Verse 3 is the antithesis of verse 2. Those who deny the truth of the incarnation of the Son of God (1) are not of God and (2) are of the antichrist. When it comes to what people believe about Jesus, the early church was plagued much like the twenty-first century. Already there were people who refused to believe the truth about God sending His Son as the Savior of the world in the person of Jesus. Docetists said Jesus was a phantom or ghostly spirit who only appeared to be human. A man named Cerinthus said the Spirit of God's Christ empowered the human Jesus at His baptism but left Him at the crucifixion. The bottom line is that they denied the genuine reality of the incarnation and the wedding of deity and humanity in the person of Jesus (see description of Docetists and Cerinthus on p. 6).

"Antichrist" here means "against Christ" (cf. 2:18, 22; 2 John 7). John says you heard he was coming (and he is), and he (through his devilish spirits) is now already in the world. He was active in John's day, he is active in our day, and he will remain active until the day that Jesus comes again.

I. Howard Marshall well says, "If a person claims to believe in Jesus, it is proper to ask, 'Is your Jesus the real Jesus?'" (The Epistles of John, 207). What one thinks about Jesus has enormous consequences. In a real sense, it determines everything! Tell me what you think about Jesus, and I will tell you 95 percent of the rest of your theology. He is the center, the hub of all theology. All of it radiates out from Him. So once more: Are you confessing the true Christ? Do you confess with the apostles, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matt 16:16)?

Are You Trusting in the Greater Spirit?

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Are You Trusting in the Greater Spirit?

1 John 4:4

There is what we could call "a divine irony" for those who believe in and follow after Jesus. The opposition of Satan—the world system that daily assaults us, false teachers that seek to seduce us, faulty worldviews that attempt to confuse us, and our own sinfulness that yearns to enslave us—is divinely ordained to fail. Why? Because of the glorious truth of verse 4: "The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." We have a Champion, a Victor, a source of power that all of these enemies from hell cannot overcome.

Again, John uses a word of tenderness: "little children." Interestingly, the phrase "You are from God" precedes this warm affirmation. It is fronted for emphasis and to add intensity: "You, yourselves, and no one else, are of God, little children. And you have conquered them (the world, the false prophets, those who are of the spirit of antichrist) in an abiding and settled fashion." How did we obtain this victory? The Greater Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is in you, and He is greater than he who is in the world. Is the world strong? Yes, but our God is infinitely stronger! Are false prophets wise? Yes, but our God is infinitely wiser! Is Satan great? Yes, but our God is infinitely greater! And this One who is infinitely stronger, wiser, and greater now and forever "is in you"!

By a true and faithful confession of Jesus as Messiah, I declare that I am God's. In response, God gives Himself to me through His Spirit and takes up residence in me and in each and every one who sincerely calls Jesus "Lord." Amazingly, the God who can live anywhere desires to live inside of you and me! I now move forward in a life of loving, sacrificial service, just as my suffering-servant Savior did (note what follows in 4:7-21). I can live confidently, blessed with supernaturally given assurance that I am His and that I fight a battle in which victory is mine for the taking. John Piper applies this truth beautifully in a twofold manner:

1. Do not take credit for your listening ear or your confessing heart or your correct view of Christ. Give credit to the Spirit who is in you, and give God the glory.
2. When you are threatened by any deception of the evil one—any temptation, or discouragement, or anxiety, or cowardice—remind yourself that "he who is in you is greater than he that is in the world." Almighty God abides within you. Trust him. For this is the victory that overcomes the world, 97your faith (5:4) in the sovereign indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. ("Test the Spirits")

Are You Listening to the Right Teachers?

Are You Listening to the Right Teachers?

1 John 4:5-6

John brings this section to a close with words that are simple and, at first blush, can sound rather arrogant. However, a closer look will reveal he is directing us to the exact place we should go and the teachers to whom we should listen. John draws a contrast between those of the world—the evil, organized system controlled by Satan (v. 5)—and those who are from God (v. 6). Those who are from the Devil's domain speak out of that worldview and with that spirit's inspiration. They speak satanic sermons. They deliver demonic discourses, and those who belong to that worldview listen to and embrace their teachings. Therefore, we should never be surprised when the lost think like lost people and live like lost people. This is true even for those who once claimed to believe in and follow Christ. Those enslaved to the world cannot help but listen to those who speak their own language.

Verse 6 paints a different picture. Those who know God through confessing Jesus as the incarnate Christ and Savior (cf. 4:10) listen to those who were with Him, who were commissioned by Him. They stay with the apostles and the prophets (cf. Eph 2:20) and refuse to move away from this true and trustworthy source even one inch! In John 8:47 Jesus says, "The one who is from God listens to God's words." This is a helpful commentary on the meaning of this verse. There is no "Jesus-plus" or "Bible-plus" theology for those who truly know God. And there is no "Jesus-minus" or "Bible-minus" theology either. This is how you can without question tell the difference between "the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception."

Now that raises a very important and very practical question: How can we listen to the apostles when they have been dead for almost 2,000 years? I love the answer of Thabiti Anyabwile:

Through a certain kind of preaching. The preaching that takes the apostles' words, explains their words, and applies their words is the kind of preaching that enables us to listen to them today. We call this expositional preaching because it exposes what the apostles have written and the meaning and 98application of their words. When you listen to the word of God expositionally preached, you are listening to the apostles, and ultimately you are listening to God himself. (unpublished sermon notes)

The phrase "spirit of deception" is interesting. It has the idea of wandering away from the truth. False prophets and those who listen to their teachings hang around the truth for a while, but they don't stay. They wander away. Again and again, their error comes back to what they think and believe about Jesus. The Bible says He is God, but they wander away and deny His eternal deity. The Bible says He is sinless, but they wander away and say He sinned or at least committed error. The Bible says He did miracles, but they wander away and say these are myths and fables. The Bible says He is the only Savior, but they wander away and say He is only a savior. The Bible says He died on the cross for our sins, but they wander away and deny penal substitution, calling it cosmic child abuse. The Bible says He rose bodily from the dead, but they wander away and say the disciples imagined that He did. The Bible says He ascended into heaven as Lord, but they wander away and say this is just another myth. The Bible says He is coming again, but they wander away and say it's pop-Christian fiction. And finally, the Bible says He will judge us all, but they wander away and say God is love and eventually all will be saved. In the end, they say, "Love Wins."2

Conclusion

Conclusion

The sixteenth-century Reformer Martin Luther said it well:

It does no good to say: I will gladly confess Christ and His Word in all articles except one or two which my tyrannical masters will not tolerate.... But he who denies Christ in one article or word has in this one article denied the same Christ who would be denied in all articles; for there is but one Christ in all His words, collectively and individually. (Luther, What Luther Says, vol. 1, 407)

A battle is indeed raging for the hearts, the minds, and the souls of men and women. Be a good soldier of Christ and the cross, of that 99which is true and that which is right. Test the spirits, confess Christ as Lord, trust the Holy Spirit who is within, and stay latched to the Word. Here is your strength. Here is your safety. Here is your salvation.

Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. What is meant by "the world" in this passage? How can Christians effectively engage the world without surrendering their convictions?
2. Why do you think false prophets are still a problem in the church? How can we properly identify them?
3. Discuss the significance of the statement, "Spiritual or religious activity is not necessarily godly activity." How are they similar? How are they different?
4. Why is the question "Who is Jesus?" at the heart of orthodox Christianity? How does this question help us wade through religion in a pluralistic society?
5. What is meant by "the real Jesus"? How can we identify false ideas of Jesus? What are some that are prevalent today in the world? In the church?
6. In what way is the Spirit inside the Christian greater than the spirit who is in the world? How can it be true that Christians have already conquered evil spirits?
7. What are some examples of a "Jesus-plus" or a "Bible-plus" theology that characterizes false teaching? How can we slide into these ways of thinking?
8. When is it appropriate to call out false teachers? How can pastors be diligent to protect the flock without spending all their time calling out other people?