DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why is the doctrine of the humanity and deity of Jesus so essential?
Why do you think it's so important to "test the spirits" in today's world? What are some modern examples of spiritual messages that might sound good but are actually misleading?
What practical steps can you take to start testing every spiritual message more faithfully?
Why is it essential to stay rooted in Scripture as we test spirits?
SERMON MANUSCRIPT:
Let’s dive in.
“[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. [4] Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. [5] They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
Before we get to the heart of John's message, we must first unpack this verse's potential awkwardness. In this first verse, we find a topic not often discussed in our day and age: spirits. John says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.”
This might seem strange to many people. It might make us uncomfortable as if we’re starring in a ghost-hunting show on the SyFy channel.
So, what does it mean to test the spirits?
Given the full scope of this verse and passage, this exhortation is found within the context of a proclaimed message. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
So, John is alluding to something we all internally understand but rarely discuss. There is an aspect of life that we cannot see, a spiritual aspect of life. We are physical beings, but we are also spiritual beings. Therefore, John is saying that there is a spirit behind every message preached: either the Spirit of God or the spirit of this world, the Spirit of truth or the spirit of error, the Spirit of light or the spirit of darkness. There’s no middle ground between the two; there’s no third option.
Not all spirituality is good, and not all messages claimed to be from God are actually from God. Therefore, we must not accept every message at face value and must be careful not to believe everything we hear. Just because someone says God told them something doesn’t mean it’s really from God—so we should always check if it matches what the Bible says. We must test the spirits to see whether they are from God. We must ask ourselves, “Is this message from the Holy Spirit, or is it from a deceptive spirit?”
In just a moment, we will examine the testing metric given in Scripture to determine whether or not a message is filled with the Holy Spirit. But before we do, I want to draw our attention to the word “many.” We must test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world with a spirit of deception. There are a lot of teachers who set out to deceive God’s people. False prophets aren’t an anomaly; there are not a few sprinkled here and there. They are more common than we realize; they are everywhere.
In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks about false prophets: “Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” He describes them as those “who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15).” Paul uses similar language, describing them as “fierce wolves” who will “come in among you, not sparing the flock.” He goes on to say that “from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:29).” Similarly, Peter tells us that false prophets “arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction (2 Pt. 2:1).” Likewise, Jude says, “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
So, we see the terrifying reality that not only are there many false prophets but that false prophets seek to (at times) operate within the church. In the same way that fruit flies seek to live within the comfort of your home, false prophets seek to live within the church. Fierce wolves come in among us in sheep’s clothing. From among us will arise men speaking twisted things. They have crept in unnoticed and will secretly bring in destructive heresies.
This week, I was discussing specific theological issues within the church with someone. He argued that the church has always been divided over these controversial topics throughout its history. Therefore, there’s no way to honestly know what is or isn’t true because, historically, the church hasn’t agreed.
Perhaps, there has been confusion littered throughout church history because false teachers have continually crept into the church bringing destructive heresies? Maybe Jesus knew what he was talking about when he warned us that many false prophets will rise up and lead many astray? False prophets have been and will continue to try to influence the church throughout church history.
Falsehood will always lurk in the shadows of truth. Where truth resides, lies hide closely behind. Therefore, it’s ok to be skeptical. In fact, it’s wise not to believe everything you’ve been told. God tells us not to believe every spirit. Do not embrace everything you’ve heard. It’s dangerous to you and disobedient to God to unquestionably embrace everything you hear. So, test the spirit of those who bring to you a message from God. Ask yourself, “Is this message from the Holy Spirit or a deceptive spirit?”
But how? How do we know the spirit of the message we are hearing? What test should we use?
Well, the test John gives us is centered around Jesus— “By this you know the Spirit of God: every sprit 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.” Jesus is the litmus test for truth. How someone treats Jesus is how we know if they are from Jesus. The way we know if something is really true is by seeing what it says about Jesus.
In John 15, Jesus says that the Father will send the Spirit of truth to “bear witness about Jesus.” And in John 16, he says that when the Spirit comes, “he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
So, the Spirit of God has come to (1) bear witness about Jesus, (2) guide us into the truth about Jesus, and (3) glorify Jesus. So, if the Holy Spirit has come to bear witness about Jesus, then the message of a Holy Spirit-filled preacher/teacher/prophet will be to bear witness about Jesus. If the Holy Spirit has come to guide us into the truth about Jesus, then the message of a Holy Spirit-filled preacher/teacher/prophet will be centered around what the Bible teaches about Jesus. If the Holy Spirit has come to glorify Jesus, then the message of a Holy Spirit-filled preacher/teacher/prophet will be centered around the glory of Jesus.
The litmus test of truth is centered around Jesus. “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, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
In our day and age, the humanity of Jesus isn’t much of a hot topic. Not many dispute the fact that Jesus was a historical figure. However, many dispute the fact that Jesus was divine. So, why does John feel the need to stake his flag on the ground of Jesus' humanity?
Well, it is believed that John is addressing a specific heresy that had begun to creep into the church during this time. A group had crept in and started teaching that Jesus wasn’t a man. This is what we call Gnosticism. Gnostics held to the belief that the material world is corrupt and evil and that Jesus wasn’t a literal human. To them, there was tension between the physical and spiritual worlds. This led some to believe that Jesus only seemed to be human and that he only appeared to suffer and die on the cross. So, instead of coming actually to atone for our sins on the cross, they taught that Jesus came to wake people up to their true nature as divine beings trapped in material bodies. To the gnostic, atonement wasn’t the purpose of Jesus’ coming; spiritual enlightenment and liberation were.
So, John specifically addresses this false teaching that crept into the early church. This teaching was detrimental because it undermined the fact that Jesus is the faithful high priest who has been made like his brothers in every way (Heb. 2:17). It undermines the fact that he lived the perfect, obedient life that we could not live, facing real temptations like you and me. It undermines the fact that he humbled himself to the point of dying on the cross for our sins.
The humanity of Jesus is equally important as the divinity of Jesus; Jesus is fully God and fully man. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. He laughed like us, cried like us, bled like us, got tired like us, got tempted with sin like us. But, he, unlike us, never sinned. Therefore, anyone who undermines either the humanity or deity of Jesus does not possess the Spirit of God; they have the spirit of deception resting on them.
Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. He came to earth to live the perfect life we could not live, died the death we deserved, and rose again— defeating sin and death— to offer us eternal life. He is now seatedat the right hand of the Father in heaven and will one day return. Every person will stand before him to be judged according to how we have lived: those whose faith resides in Christ to everlasting life with him and those who rejected Christ to everlasting judgment apart from him.
Church, you will undoubtedly come in contact with men and women who wage war against the Jesus of the Bible. You will come in contact with people who undermine the humanity of Jesus, just like John did. You will come in contact with people who undermine the deity of Jesus. You will come in contact with people who downplay the cross. You will come in contact with people who overlook the resurrection. You will come in contact with people who wage war against the Kingship of Jesus. You will come in contact with people who scoff at the reality of judgment. You will come in contact with people who seek to erase the reality of hell. You will come in contact with people seeking to rob Jesus of the glory he deserves. So, may we test the spirits, carefully examining what they say about Jesus.
In verse 4, John says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
Notice, first, the gentle language John uses in this section. In verse 1, he says, “beloved.” In verse 4, he says, “Little children.”
When dealing with doctrinal truths within the church, it would serve us well to follow John’s example here. Gentleness is often better than heavyhandedness.
Sometimes, when we encounter truth, we become so passionate about truth that we become mean-spirited. But, I would argue that those who have the Holy Spirit residing within their hearts handle the sword of truth with gentle care.
May we never put down the sword of truth. But, may we always be careful with how we handle it. There’s a right way and a wrong way to encourage someone away from doctrinal error. And I believe one of the best ways is to follow in the footsteps of John here. The more firm our theology grows, the more tender our voice should become. May we be clear on truth and gentle in posture.
While we’re here, let’s also examine this passage within its context. This warning on doctrinal error is wedged between two passages specifically discussing Christ-like love.
- “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us (3:23).”
- “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God (4:7).”
This should tell us that it is unloving to allow someone to believe something that is not true. To love someone like Christ is to show and encourage them toward truth. In a world that equates love with freedom to live and believe however you want, the Bible says that true love promotes truth.
John says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
So, as we test the spirits of the messages we hear, it’s important to remember that we also have the Holy Spirit within us. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. The same Spirit that empowers one to preach truth resides within your heart to help you know truth. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and helps us know what is true and right. He helps us maneuver through teachings, protecting and empowering us to overcome falsehood.
When it comes to the spiritual world, we sometimes lose sight of this reality. God is greater than Satan. God is sovereign; Satan is not. God is omniscient; Satan is not. God is omnipresent; Satan is not. God is omnipotent; Satan is not.
As I was preparing this week, I did some cross-referencing. In doing so, I started reading 2 Peter 2:9, which says, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” I love that line, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.” God’s not ignorant, nor is he weak. He’s wise, and he’s willing. He uses trials to save and sanctify his people, making us more like him. Like an experienced and wise goldsmith, God knows just when to pull us out of the fire to make us more precious and more holy. Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. The Holy Spirit resides within our hearts and teaches us truth. So, as the spirit of the antichrist is out in the world, seeking to wage war against Christ, we do not have to fear.
John then says, “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us.” False teachers are popular teachers. The world loves their message because it’s the world’s message. Those whose hearts reject Christ love messages against Christ. Those who are walking in darkness love dark messages. Those who are living in falsehood love falsehood. The world listens to the world’s message.
If popularity is our goal, it would be better for us to forsake Christ. But, if faithfulness to Christ is our goal, then we must never abandon him. If the glory of Christ is what we live and breathe for, then we cling tightly to him, no matter what it costs in this life!
John says in verse 6, “We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us.”
Who is the “we” and “us” here?
John is making a distinction between his readers and himself here. The “we” and “us” in verse 6 are clearly separate from the “you” in verse 4 and the “they” in verse 5. So, I join the majority in believing John is referring to himself and the other apostles, those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus and divinely appointed messengers of Jesus.
I do not believe I am a part of this “we, ”nor do I believe that any other pastor, prophet, or influencer is a part of this “we.” The “us” in verse 6 is an exclusive VIP club we are not invited to join. I believe John exclusively refers to the [A]postles of Christ, the divinely appointed messengers of Christ. Therefore, a simpler way to read this verse in our day and age would be: “[The Bible] is from God. Whoever knows God listens to [the Bible]; whoever is not from God does not listen to [the Bible.]”
We have been given the Holy Spirit-inspired word of God— breathed by God, penned by men— and it is profitable for “teaching, reproof, correction, and training… that we may be complete, equipped for every good work.” So, if we want to discern the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error, we must be students of God’s word.
The book that is in your lap today is from God. The Bible is the final authority. The best way to know what is true or false is to test it according to God’s word. Those who know God listen to his word. Those who do not know God do not listen to his word. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.