1 John 4:1-10

1 John 4:1-10

1 Dear 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. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but 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.

We need to be aware that false teachers are not just false teachers, but are following a spirit. One is of God, the other of the antichrist. You can easily find out by asking the questions: Was Jesus a real person? Do you acknowledge Jesus? In verse 9, we will see what "acknowledge Jesus" means.

4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

We can be assured that when we teach, the Spirit can overcome the "worldly teachers". People of the world will not recognize this Spirit. People from God will listen.

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

We must love one another, like the example that God gave us. No one loved God enough to deserve eternal life. God loved us, the unlovable, by sending his Son to die for our sins. It was through Jesus' sacrifice that we live, not through any action of our own. This is the final test of acknowledging Jesus to test the spirits: Do you believe that Jesus died for our sins?