Last night’s Bible study looked at 1 John 4:1-6, where John gives us further advice on how to discern between what is true and false. Once again, there is an inextricable link between the Spirit of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ, for the test of truth will always focus on Christ’s identity as the Son of God and on His mission of salvation. Both of these are fiercely contested in the world, from those who deny God to those whose ‘paths’ to God ultimately lead away from Him because they do not recognise the deity of Jesus or that salvation is only found in His name. (Acts 4:12, John 14:6)
John urges us to be discerning and to ‘test the spirits’ (1 John 4:1), for we can be led astray not only by Satan but by our own spirits. The world’s way of doing things will never be the same as God’s, but it will always appeal to our own natures. We need to test prophecy against the Word and understand that false prophets exist, but we do not need to be fearful and anxious. God is a loving Father who longs to give the Holy Spirit to His children (see Luke 11:9-13). When we yield to His Spirit, we must expect the spiritual to be in control and for unusual things to happen as God moves in power, which can be unnerving to say the least! Nonetheless, He is a God of peace and order and has given us freely of His Spirit so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Cor 2:12)
False teachings arise and can lead us astray if we are not discerning. The plethora of religions and cults in the world today reveal this all too clearly. Nonetheless, God’s Spirit within us is more powerful than he that is in the world and we have been given spiritual tools to discern truth from falsehood. We can live confidently because of this, knowing that love for God and obedience to Him count for more than fine-sounding words which are not true to God.
