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?

How Do We Know?

I was given a daily devotional guide. When I looked at the book on the surface, it seemed normal, but researching it led me to a shock: the book was written by channelers who claimed to be channeling Jesus.

There were many thing in the book that sound like they could have come from Jesus, so how do we know? A person could be claiminging a new revelation from God, which is possible. How do we know what is from God and what is not?

One can use the same criteria that any reasoned and intellectual scholar would use if someone said they were channeling any historical figure. You would go back and compare what the person was saying and check if it contradicted the historical evidence. The Bible is the historical evidence of Jesus, and, with the great masses of evidence, is a reliable source. Contradictions seriously undermine those with new sayings or revelations from God or Jesus.

For channelers, the Bible itself says that this is not good to consult the spirits. So they contradict the Bible from the beginning. Their words are not to be trusted.

The Resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15

1 Co 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Paul wrote about the importance of the resurrection of Christ and what it meant to believers. Here is a quick summary of chapter 15:

3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

This is of first importance and is a basis for the rest of the chapter. Some people of Paul's time did not even believe in resurrection. So Paul gives evidence and reasoning for believing:

13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

Why believe in Christ if you do not believe in resurrection? And if the resurrection did not occur, then Paul says we are then found to be false witnesses about God.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead

And Paul has already provided the evidence by naming names of witnesses and mentioning that more than 500 had seen him, and many were still alive. So even a doubter could ask some of these people if Jesus's resurrection were true, and they could say 'yes'.

32 If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

Paul is saying that if we do not believe in Christ, this is how we should live. (This brings up a question: should we condemn non-believers that live this way?)

"Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

False Prophets

Matthew 7:15-16 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them..."

Even before his death, Jesus warned us about false prophets that would come.

Matthew 24:24-25 "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time."