1 JOHN 4:1-6
INTRODUCTION
A humorist told the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car. “I’ve just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I’m writing down my name and address. I’m not. Good luck.”
A story has been told of a woman who had acquired wealth and social prominence and decided to have a book written about her genealogy. The well-known author she engaged for the assignment discovered that one of her grandfathers was a murderer who had been electrocuted in Sing Sing. When he said this would have to be included in the book, the woman pleaded that he finds a way of saying it that would hide the truth.
When the book appeared, the incident read as follows: “One of her grandfathers occupied the chair of applied electricity in one of America’s best known institutions. He was very much attached to his position and literally died in the harness.”
I. THE CONTENT OF THE TEACHING (VV. 1-3)
Discernment as a part of Paul’s teaching on the spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:10). The spiritual gift of discernment is one of the indispensable gifts of a local church. Why do you think that in God’s divine wisdom He gives His church spiritual discernment? So that the church would maintain a balance in the exercise of gifts such as tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, teaching, healing, and miracles. The apostle John is calling the attention of the church to the significance of discerning of spirits.
The gift of discernment is a special insight or special ability to distinguish between the manifestations of the Spirit and counterfeit (satanic) manifestations. Apostle John had in mind spiritual manifestations in and through people who claimed to be prophets (spokesmen for God). In those days some believers were and are still impressed by tongues and prophecy as to be dazzled by them.
Before we tackle this passage, let us put some things in order. First, keep in mind the close connection between this passage and the closing verse s of chapter 3 (i.e. vv. 23-24). Chapter 4 builds on chapter 3, especially the last verses. Second, remember the controversial setting of this Letter.
John was not opposing people who were not just professed pagans. In other words, he was not opposing people who were plainly unbelievers. Rather John was writing to oppose people who claimed to speak with profound spiritual insight (cf. 2:18-28). These people spoke as it seemed, with a Christian tongue, but none the less they were deadly opponents of Christianity and of Christ. You must remember that church services in the first century were quite different from today.
Verse 1, John commands us not to believe every spirit, but test the spirits. In other words, Christians are not to accept any teaching uncritically even when it seems to be given under inspiration.
You and I are not to be naïve Christians. That is why it is very important to know the word of God. John is giving us this imperative or command because many false prophets have gone into the world.
Our minds and eyes automatically riveted on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons when false prophets and false teachers are mentioned.
The truth of the matter is that no false prophet or teacher would be holding a placard saying, “look at me, I am a false prophet.” Because they do not advertise themselves as false prophets and teachers it is our spiritual responsibility to discern what is being taught in the name of Jesus Christ.
A prominent American Pastor visited Russia when the iron curtains fell. This is a pastor who leads one of the mega-churches in the United States. He had the opportunity of a lifetime to point the people of Russia to Jesus Christ but he failed. Ladies and gentlemen doing good and loving people are noble virtues, but they cannot get you near heaven’s gate. What gets you into heaven is your personal relationship with the crucified and resurrected Christ, the Son of God.
Brothers and sisters, God has given us His Spirit (3:24), but there are other spirits active in the world. Neither Christian faith nor Christian love is indiscriminate. The Lord, who tells us to love people, also tells that we are not to love the world or the things in the world (2:15). The same Christ who tells us to believe in Him (John 14:1; 1 John 3:23) also commands us not believe every spirit. Christian faith is not to be mistaken for credulity or gullibility. True faith examines its object before reposing confidence in it. Even the disciples examined Jesus before they put their faith in Him. I am not saying that you have to be skeptical or cynical about every teacher, pastor, or prophet. What I am saying is that you don’t follow a person blindly because he claims to be a prophet or teacher (Matt. 7:21-23).
A prophet is a mouthpiece of some spirit. True prophets are the mouthpiece of the Spirit of God (v. 2). False prophets are the mouthpiece of “the spirit of error” (v. 6) or “the spirit of the antichrist” (v. 3). Therefore, behind every prophet is a spirit and behind every spirit is either God or the devil. Before you and I can trust any spirit, we must test it, whether it is of God.
John’s concern in this passage is not about the character of the prophet but the origin or the source of his prophetic message. There are other texts that deal with the character of the teacher or prophet.
I do not deny the validity of tongues and prophecy, but at the same time I have to weigh what is being said or prophesied. Why?
The reason why the Lord wants us to have spiritual discernment is that Satan can mimic or imitate the things of God. Satan is the great masquerader. (2 Cor. 11:13-14).
Ways to test the spirits to see if they are from God.
1. Check what is being said with the Bible, which is the word of God. 2. Test the prophet or teacher’s commitment to the body of believers (2:19), 3. Test the lifestyle or character of the prophet or teacher (3:23-24). 4. Test the fruit of their ministry (v. 6); 5. Most important of all, what do they believe about Jesus Christ. What the pastor told the Russian people speaks volume about what he believes about Jesus Christ.
To “try the spirits” is to test them for authenticity. The verb “try” or “test” was used in the ancient times of the testing of metals for genuineness, example gold.
When you are going to sell gold to a goldsmith the goldsmith has a way of testing the gold to see if it is genuine or fake. We are not to judge doctrine by miracles, but we are to judge miracles by doctrine. A miracle which contradicts the teaching of Christ and His Apostles is not of God and is no authority for Christians. This test of spirits calls you and me to find out what the teacher prophet believes about Jesus. Does the teacher teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man? Ladies and gentlemen our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God. Let’s give these tests to see if they are indeed speaking God’s truth.
Some people believe everything they read and hear. Unfortunately, many things printed and taught are not true. (For instance the gossip papers in shelves of grocery stores and supermarkets). Christians should have faith, but we are not to be gullible. Verify every message you hear, even if the person who brings it says it is from God. If the message is from God it will be consistent with the teachings of Christ. Paul gives a similar command in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. Apostles Paul and John teach that even the humblest Christian possessed the right of private judgment.
When John says, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh,” He is speaking of the humanity of Jesus. Jesus Christ is God and man in one Person, forever. Christians are to maintain a biblical balance; avoiding extreme superstition, which believes everything, and the extreme suspicion, which believes nothing. We must maintain a balance between western rationalism and third world animism. “Animism is the belief in personal spiritual beings and impersonal spiritual forces that have power in human affairs.” Africans and Asians fall into this category. The animist lives in fear of spiritual powers. Western rationalism dismisses such beliefs and calls them superstition. Western rationalism also dismisses or explains away the supernatural events of the Bible such as the Virgin birth and miracles.
Spiritually mature Christians are identified as those whose senses are trained to discern good and evil (Heb. 5:14). True discernment is not just a function of the mind, but also a function of the Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, God reveals a compatible spirit to the spiritually mature and warns against an incompatible spirit (Acts 16:16-18).
Verse 3 shows the inconsistency of a prophet or teacher who claims to represent God, but denies Jesus as the Son of God. Such a person is of the antichrist (the so-called radical theologians today). When a person denies either the deity or the historical humanity of Jesus, such a person belongs to the antichrist. Those who deny the Son have neither the Father nor the Son.
II. THE CHARACTER OF THE AUDIENCE (VV. 4-6)
Verse 4 deals with the encouragement to resist impostors. There are many impostors, charlatans, swindlers, and peddlers of the message of God today. They are alive and well here in the United States and Africa.
John begins verses 4, 5, and, 6 with an emphatic pronoun: “You” (v. 4); “They” (v. 5); and “We” (v. 6). The “you” refers to true Christians; the “they” refers to false prophets; and the “we” refers to both the apostles who proclaim the gospel and true Christians. John is saying that you who are genuine Christians are of God, rather than the false prophets. True Christians derive their spiritual life from God. And because you derive your spiritual life from God, you are not to fear those who oppose you.
False prophets and antichrists are like “a bully.” During your school days were you afraid of a bully? The devil is a bully. But when you stand on your ground with the whole armor of God on, he will flee like a bully who has been defeated. You overcome the false prophets and teachers because you do not believe or succumb to their lies.
Let me give you a secret: False prophets or teachers are afraid of spiritually mature believers. That is why they go after those who are not seeking Christ, but seeking something else. They want a vision, they want dreams; they want someone to tell them what their itching ears want to hear. They complain they are not growing at the same time they do not discipline themselves with Bible study prayer and fasting. Ladies and gentlemen, nobody can put the Bible in your head or heart. It is a discipline that you must develop yourself. Because many Christians don’t want to pay the price they have become spiritual prostitutes and exposed to demonic spirits.
However, John assures true Christians who are walking intimately with Christ that “He who is in you is greater than the one in the world.” Hallelujah, glory to God. Yes the evil spirit is great, yes the devil is great, but the Holy Spirit is greater. Amen. Through the Holy Spirit’s illumination, you can overcome every deceptive teaching. The Holy Spirit protects and gives us victory over false teachers.
Verses 5 & 6 contain some profound truths that I don’t want you to miss. False teachers are popular with the world because like the false prophets of the OT they tell people what they want to hear. Many people don’t want to get right with God. They don’t want to face the reality of their sin. They seek those who would endorse their lifestyle of sin and tell them that all is well. It reminds me of the prophet Jeremiah and the false prophets.
Ladies and gentlemen when I preach and teach the word of God, I am not in competition with anybody. John is warning us that those who preach and teach the word of God faithfully are not going to win any popularity contest in the world. People don’t want their sins denounced. They don’t want to hear that they are sinners. They want to be told they are good. People don’t want to listen to the demand to change their lives. They want to be told that they are okay, I am okay, and all of us are okay. But brothers and sisters not all of us are okay. If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ you are not okay despite the fact that you attend church services.
Jesus’ message to those who were rejoicing at the death of the Galileans on whom the tower fell; Jesus said to them unless you also repent you would likewise perish (Luke 13:4-5). Repentance and confession of sin are indispensable to your salvation. If you are not willing to repent and confess your sin to God, you cannot see the kingdom of God.
False prophets derive both their inspiration and message from the world. The term “world” connotes the idea of people who rebel against God and live independent of God.
The world listens to those who speak its language, and those who are true Christians listen to those who speak the language of God. Let me open your spiritual eyes to a hard truth. We must well remember that a person is not necessarily preaching truth just because his ministry attracts large crowds. God’s word elicits a positive response from God’s people because there is a deep and real affinity between the two. Verse 6 points back to the two tests that have been proposed: (1) the content of the message proclaimed (vv. 2-3) and (2) the character of the audience attracted (vv. 5-6).
