How do we know the truth?
God did not leave us guessing what the Truth is. We must test every spirit we encounter, to see if it matches God’s spirit (John 4:1-3)
It’s important to be cautious when it comes to religious teachers you encounter. Some religious con-artists, proclaim a message that did NOT come from God, and if you embrace their teachings, it will lead you away from God. It’s NOT always easy to spot a false teacher right away, because they do know plenty about the Bible, and they’ll use some of the right terminology, yet they're not bringing a message from God that MATCHES with His Word.
Not only is it unwise to believe that every religious teacher is genuine, it can be dangerous to our souls. In 1 John 3:24-4:6, John doesn’t say “test every preacher", but instead "test the spirits". How do you do that? You can know what’s in every person’s mind/heart/spirit by what they say and do. Every action and every word we utter, first begins within our spirit, elsewhere called our “heart” (Matthew 15:17-20).
You can know if someone’s spirit matches God’s spirit, based on whether or not what they say and do, matches exactly with what God says in His Word. If it doesn't, don't believe them. The spirit of false teachers won’t match with what God has said. So their spirit is characterized by error; it’s more like the world, than God. Remember, it's not what I say, or what you say. It's what GOD says, that counts. He is the final authority and no one on this earth, can match His wisdom.
John gives us the reason we must test every spirit: “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (John 4:1). A prophet is simply someone who speaks for God. God has revealed His will for mankind...to come back into fellowship with Him, through prayer, repentance, and finally, accepting Him as your Lord and Savior. “False prophets” are men and women who claim to speak for God, but they are actually delivering a message that God did NOT reveal…they’re spreading lies.
Man-made religion is very different from what God revealed, because of the source of its teachings. We know these false teachers were saying that you could be a Christian and keep on living a sinful lifestyle. That sounds pretty good…if you’re in love with what this world has to offer. But if you love God, you won't want to do the opposite of His Word. That’s why man-made religion is so popular, because it caters to worldly desires, serves many or just any god, and has worldly ways of thinking. John says the world listens to teachers like these. We should never think that a religious group is pleasing to God just because they have a lot of followers. These “antichrists” had a lot of followers too, but they sure don’t have any spiritual fellowship with God.
1 John 4:6 refers to Christ’s specially chosen apostles. Christ’s apostles are God’s spokesmen. What they preached and wrote, carried the authority of God Himself. They were given direct revelation from Christ, by the power of God, through his Holy Spirit. What we do with the apostles’ teachings, determines the kind of spirit we have. Do you hunger for truth? Is your only allegiance to the Word of God? That means you have the “spirit of truth.” When truth is your priority, all you care about is what God revealed.
Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. NO MAN comes to the Father, but by ME." John 14:6
It’s important to be cautious when it comes to religious teachers you encounter. Some religious con-artists, proclaim a message that did NOT come from God, and if you embrace their teachings, it will lead you away from God. It’s NOT always easy to spot a false teacher right away, because they do know plenty about the Bible, and they’ll use some of the right terminology, yet they're not bringing a message from God that MATCHES with His Word.
Not only is it unwise to believe that every religious teacher is genuine, it can be dangerous to our souls. In 1 John 3:24-4:6, John doesn’t say “test every preacher", but instead "test the spirits". How do you do that? You can know what’s in every person’s mind/heart/spirit by what they say and do. Every action and every word we utter, first begins within our spirit, elsewhere called our “heart” (Matthew 15:17-20).
You can know if someone’s spirit matches God’s spirit, based on whether or not what they say and do, matches exactly with what God says in His Word. If it doesn't, don't believe them. The spirit of false teachers won’t match with what God has said. So their spirit is characterized by error; it’s more like the world, than God. Remember, it's not what I say, or what you say. It's what GOD says, that counts. He is the final authority and no one on this earth, can match His wisdom.
John gives us the reason we must test every spirit: “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (John 4:1). A prophet is simply someone who speaks for God. God has revealed His will for mankind...to come back into fellowship with Him, through prayer, repentance, and finally, accepting Him as your Lord and Savior. “False prophets” are men and women who claim to speak for God, but they are actually delivering a message that God did NOT reveal…they’re spreading lies.
Man-made religion is very different from what God revealed, because of the source of its teachings. We know these false teachers were saying that you could be a Christian and keep on living a sinful lifestyle. That sounds pretty good…if you’re in love with what this world has to offer. But if you love God, you won't want to do the opposite of His Word. That’s why man-made religion is so popular, because it caters to worldly desires, serves many or just any god, and has worldly ways of thinking. John says the world listens to teachers like these. We should never think that a religious group is pleasing to God just because they have a lot of followers. These “antichrists” had a lot of followers too, but they sure don’t have any spiritual fellowship with God.
1 John 4:6 refers to Christ’s specially chosen apostles. Christ’s apostles are God’s spokesmen. What they preached and wrote, carried the authority of God Himself. They were given direct revelation from Christ, by the power of God, through his Holy Spirit. What we do with the apostles’ teachings, determines the kind of spirit we have. Do you hunger for truth? Is your only allegiance to the Word of God? That means you have the “spirit of truth.” When truth is your priority, all you care about is what God revealed.
Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. NO MAN comes to the Father, but by ME." John 14:6
