Test the Spirits! They Are Not All from God!

1 John 4:2-3

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

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?

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:

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:

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

The sixteenth-century Reformer Martin Luther said it well:

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