Testing the Spirits

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. 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.

Introduction

As we continue our look into this important aspect of Spiritual Discernment, we are going to turn our attention today to the matter of testing the spirits.

In this letter that John has written to the church, he writes it with a few goals in mind.

As believers, they will still sin, but they should strive for holiness.

Gives them tests by which they can test if they are truly in Christ.

He deals with false prophets, and how to discern them.

Verses 1-6, which we read this morning, are one of the sections in which he deals with these false prophets and their teachings.

And the point of course is to warn the believers that they need to be discerning.

In verse 1 of chapter 4, we find this admonition by John that the believers are not to believe every spirit, but rather that they are to test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

As we live our lives in this world as Christians, we are commanded in God’s word that we must test the spirits to see if they are from God.

In essence, what this means is that all teaching that we receive is to be tested.

Any teaching that we receive, I would go further to say - any counsel and directing that we receive in life - it to be tested to determine if this is from God, or if this is from Satan.

But notice also in verse 1 that John says that we are to “test the spirits”.

The implication of what John is saying is that behind the words and teachings being brought across to us is a spiritual influence.

That spiritual influence is either going to be good - from God, or it is going to be deceptive - from Satan.

And so we are commanded to test the spirits.

In line with our sermon series: there is to be spiritual discernment exercised when coming to teachers.

But as we do this, we need to know how to test.

What exactly is it that we are testing?

How will we be able to discern what spirit is from God and what spirit is not from God.

And if you think that is an easy task, then let me tell you, you have not reckoned with the slyness and the cunning of Satan in this world.

You have not reckoned with your own sinful heart that is so prone to leading you into your own ways, rather than the ways of God.

This is not a statement that is made in order to frighten you into thinking that you can never discern, and that you’re doomed to failure.

It’s simply a reality of this life: that deception and falsehood is rife in the world, and it is the means that Satan is using in order to draw people away from the true and living God.

And we as the church need to come together and study God’s word together, faithfully learning and growing in our knowledge of this truth, so that we as a church will be able to stand faithfully on the truth of God’s revelation to us, so that we will not be led into deception.

We as Christians need to be those who are testing the spirits to see if they are from God.

And so the question that we will begin to answer this morning, is how do we discern, how do we test these spirits?

There are a number of ways in which we can do this, various tests that we could apply.

For example, in the Old Testament we find these words of instruction to Israel:

Deuteronomy 13:1–3 NIV84

1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

In this instance, any person who leads Israel away from the true God, even in the event that the person / prophet produces miraculous signs / wonders, they are not to be listened to.

In other words, God told the Israelites to test everything according to whether or not it lead to worship of Him.

Even miraculous signs are not necessarily evidence of a true teacher, if that teaching is directed away from the truth of God.

And then listen to the words of Deuteronomy 18:20-22...

Deuteronomy 18:20–22 NIV84

20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

So there are these various tests that God has always given by which His people were to test the spirits / prophets to see whether or not they were from Him.

But this morning I really only want to focus our attention on one particular aspect, one particular test, and that is: “Does it exalt the true Christ?”

Does the teaching, does the movement, does the church espousing these thoughts and ideas, does this group of people that I am gathering with, do they exalt the true Christ.

Note what I am not asking here.

I am not asking: “do they use the name Jesus when they teach in their church?”

I am also not asking: “do they use some verses from the Bible when they teach in their church?”

That is not the question.

There are many false teachers, there are many dangerous teachers, who use the name Jesus, and refer to Scripture.

In fact, this is one of the points that makes them so dangerous, and why it is such a challenging task to discern truth from error.

Because on the surface of it, it may sound quite true, and quite appealing.

But not everything that on cursory glance sounds true and appealing actually is.

As we consider this question, we’re going to do so by looking at it under 2 broad headings.

The Spirit of God always points people to Christ.

The Spirit of God always affirms the truth about Christ.

1. The Spirit of God always points people to Christ.

When we come to trying to discern the Spirit of God, as opposed to the false spirits that would infiltrate the church, we need to begin by understanding that the true Spirit of God is always pointing people to Christ.

1 John 4:3 NIV84

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.

In other words, Christ is always the main focus.

He is the One that the eyes and hearts of the people of God are to look towards in this life.

He is the main point!!

Hebrews 12:2 says we “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

1.1. Scripture always points to Christ

As we consider this further, and the reason that we must see this as so important, we must recognise that Scripture (which according to 2 Timothy 3:16 is breathed out by God) always points to Christ.

We can go through the entirety of the Old and New Testaments, and we’ll find that the Scriptures continually point to Jesus Christ.

The Law (especially portions of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) anticipates Christ by exposing our hearts, our inability to live according to God’s righteous standards, and persuading us of our need for a Savior.

The promises that we find through the Old Testament, particularly in the prophetic books, point our eyes towards Christ by creating within us a longing for the fulfilment of those promises, which we know can only come in Christ.

In the Wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and so on) we are compelled to look to Christ for meaning and for the ability to live wisely, because it is Christ...

Particular Old Testament offices (prophet, priest, and king) foreshadow Christ’s redemptive work.

Certain Old Testament rituals, such as the Passover (Exodus 12), foreshadow God’s redemption of his people through the Cross.

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) introduce us to Jesus Christ and his ministry on earth, culminating in his death, burial, and resurrection.

The Epistles (Romans, 1 Corinthians, and so forth) offer sustained theological reflection on the significance of the person and work of Christ for the church.

The Epistles show us how our lives are to be lived in Christ.

Revelation gives us a window into the glorious rule and reign of Christ at the right hand of the Father.

All of the Scripture always points to Christ.

It directs our eyes ultimately towards Christ.

John 5:39 NIV84

39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,

All of the Scriptures ultimately point to the work of God done in Jesus Christ.

That is why Paul can say to the Colossians...

Colossians 1:28 NIV84

28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

1.2 The Holy Spirit Always Points to Christ

But we must also remember that it’s not only the Scriptures as a whole which point to Christ, but it is also the Holy Spirit that points to Christ.

In John 14:26, as Christ begins to prepare his disciples for his own departure, He explains to them that there would be the Counselor that is to come to them...

John 14:26 NIV84

26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

The work of the Holy Spirit would primarily be to remind the disciples of what Jesus taught.

This is the great work of the Spirit - bringing to recollection the words of Christ to His disciples.

What is of supreme importance is really the words of Christ, the teachings of the Word that became flesh.

But the Holy Spirit comes to remind disciples of this.

Then in John 15:26, we find Jesus again telling his disciples about the work of the Spirit...

John 15:26 NIV84

26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

The work of the Spirit is to testify about Jesus.

The Holy Spirit does not come into the world in order to be the focus of attention, so that people’s eyes and hearts will be consumed by the Spirit.

No, the Spirit testifies about Jesus, the Son, the Word of God in the world.

The focus is on Christ.

This comes through again in John 16:13-15...

John 16:13–15 NIV84

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

The spirit guides into all truth.

Furthermore, the Spirit brings glory to Christ (v.14).

Christ is the focus of the work of the Spirit.

The truth of Christ - the truth of His words and His life are conveyed to the disciples by the Holy Spirit.

2. It affirms the truth about Christ

This brings us to our second main point this morning.

Not only does the Spirit of God always point people to Christ, but the Spirit of God always affirms the truth about Christ.

The Spirit of God always affirms the truth about Christ, in terms of who He is, and also what He taught.

Everything about Christ: His Nature, His character, His attributes - all of this is testified to by the Spirit of truth.

But also everything that Christ taught: His doctrine, His teachings, His message - all of this is testified to by the Spirit of truth.

If I could summarize this in one phrase, the grand doctrine of salvation in and through Jesus Christ, God the Son, is testified to by the Spirit of God.

This is an essential point to recognise.

It comes out in the immediate context in terms of John’s letter.

The false teaching of the day that John was addressing was what is known as Docetism.

That is, the people believed that Jesus did not truly come in bodily form.

They would acknowledge that Jesus had come

They acknowledged the divinity of Jesus.

But they claimed that He was merely an appearance. He wasn’t truly a person in actual flesh!

In other words, they denied the humanity of Jesus.

And John addresses this idea that was prevalent at that time by stating in verse 2-3...

1 John 4:2–3 NIV84

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.

In this passage, and in the rest of Scripture, it is not merely necessary for Jesus Christ to be confessed, but it is necessary for the proper and accurate truth about Jesus to be confessed.

In John’s day, it wasn’t merely good enough that they would say that Jesus was from God, or Jesus was divine.

It was also necessary that they acknowledged the fact that Jesus was fully human.

One accurate truth concerning Jesus, without the other side of the truth concerning Jesus, was not fully true, and thus was a spirit of falsehood.

To worship the wrong Jesus is false worship.

Now the challenge in our day, as it always has been, is that the name “Christ” (or “Jesus”) is mentioned, and everyone automatically thinks that this is Gospel.

“Well he’s talking about Jesus, and it sounds about 90% accurate, maybe just a few things I don’t agree with, but as long as they’re teaching people to love Jesus, well surely that’s okay!?”

But what Jesus do they love? What Jesus are they preaching?

Listen to the warning of the Apostle Peter...

2 Peter 2:1 NIV84

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

We need to recognise that the heresies that come into the church are brought in secretly.

2 Corinthians 11:12–15 NIV84

12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

The false teachers will masquerade as angels of light.

They will have the appearance of being messengers of Christ, as those who bring the truth of Christ.

But they are in actual fact false apostles, deceitful workmen.

1 Timothy 6:3–5 NIV84

3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

3. Examples of Dangerous Doctrines Today

Perhaps you’re asking yourself the question: why am I belaboring this point?

Surely we know this truth?

Perhaps....

But we live in a day where Jesus and the emphasis on Jesus is being pushed more and more to the sidelines.

These things don’t happen in one giant leap.

Satan never comes in and brings a radically altered Gospel in order to deceive the church.

It’s always subtle, always just taking the focus slightly off of Christ as the focal point.

What are some examples of this?

3.1. The Hyper Grace Gospel

This is a new wave of teaching that emphasizes the grace of God to the exclusion of other vital teachings such as repentance and confession of sin.

This movement teaches that all sin, past, present, and future, has already been forgiven.

And if all sin - past, present and future - has been forgiven, well then there is not need for a believer to confess their sins.

What they do is that they take the grace of God and over-emphasize it to mean things that are simply not true.

The conclusion of hyper-grace teaching is that we are not bound by Jesus’ teaching, even as we are not under the Law; that believers are not responsible for their sin; and that anyone who disagrees is a pharisaical legalist.

You do not need to confess your sins any longer to God because 1 John 1:9 is not written to Christians.

Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit does not come to convict you of sin.

Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit will not make you feel guilt, shame nor rebuke you about your sin.

You do not or cannot grieve the Holy Spirit when you sin.

A repentant life is not really necessary because you were forgiven when you believed in Christ.

Under this new divine revelation of grace, you are free to sin because you are a saint.

Humility is considered debasement and a teaching of weakness.

Being broken over sin or weeping over sin is considered abuse of people in the church.

Giving assurance to unrepentant sinners that they are eternally secure.

Jesus’ words to the seven churches in the book of Revelation strongly contradict the idea that Christians never need to repent.

To the church at Ephesus, Jesus said, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:4).

Far from believers being unaccountable for their sin, they must answer to Jesus for their disobedience

2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV84

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The hyper grace movement undermines the process of progressive sanctification in the life of the believer.

3.2. The Experiential Gospel.

This is very common today because of at least two things ....

1) A powerful influence from New Age Spirituality.

2) A misplaced emphasis on the “moving power” of the Spirit

In the case of New Age Spirituality, we find people (particularly young people) who are uncomfortable with being told what to believe, but want to find the faith that is right for them.

If we look at the truths that we’ve considered this morning, in terms of the emphasis on Christ.

3.3. The Colossian Heresy

A key danger in the church - and this is where we really need to be cautious - is that of syncretism in the church.

Syncretism has always been a problem in the church.

It was a problem in the days of the Apostles.

When John wrote his letter to the church, he dealt with these false teachers that were bringing in other teachings and mixing them with the teachings of Christ.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Colossian believers, he also confronted this issue of syncretism.

He dealt with what is known as the Colossian heresy.

Gnosticism

Need some secret higher knowledge in order to obtain salvation

These were the spiritual elite - those who had a knowledge to be able to know God

It was Jewish, stressing the need for observing Old Testament laws and ceremonies.

It was philosophical, laying emphasis on some special or deeper knowledge (gnosis ).

It involved the worship of angels as mediators to God.

It was exclusive, stressing the special privilege and "perfection" of those select few who belonged to this philosophical elite.

It was also Christological, but this denied the deity of Christ, thus calling forth one of the greatest declarations of Christ's deity found anywhere in Scripture.9

Some thought that Jesus was "just a man" - similar to Christian Science and other phases of "New Thought."

Paul sets about dealing with this heresy in the first 2 chapters of his letter to the Colossian believers.

Note in

Listen to what he says in Colossians 2:8...

Colossians 2:8 NIV84

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Colossians 2:4 NIV84

4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

Paul’s concern is that the church will be deceived by arguments that sound good, they sound plausible, but they are in fact diminishing the work of Christ.

Colossians 2:7 NIV84

7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

We live in a pluralistic, postmodern world.

Today, our world would have us view everything as relative, including our theology.

Just as in Colossae, there are many strands of heresy that compete for the minds and souls of believers.

The message being proclaimed in the secular world, and sadly in many mainstream churches and denominations, is tolerance.

All ideas have equal weight and truth, they say.

However, much of the content of these beliefs are contrary to the gospel.

From the Davinci Code, to the Gospel of Judas, to modern day false teachers, many in our world are enemies of the cross.

Here is where Colossians helps us.

There are so many ideas and worldviews today in direct conflict with the truths of Christianity that to try and refute just one would not work.

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