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December 4, 2023 at 12:06 pm
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. By this you know the Spirit of God: 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. 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. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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. ~ 1 John 4:1-6
do not believe every spirit. The mention of the Holy Spirit in 1Jn_3:24 prompts John to inform his readers that other spirits exist (i.e., demonic spirits) who produce false prophets and false teachers to propagate their false doctrine (see notes on 1Ti_4:1-2). Christians are to have a healthy skepticism regarding any teaching, unlike some among John’s congregations who were too open-minded to anyone claiming a new teaching regarding the faith. Christians are to be like the Bereans who, as students of the Word, examined the Scriptures to determine truth and error (Act_17:11-12).
test. The word test is a metallurgist’s term used for assaying metals to determine their purity and value. Christians must test any teaching with a view to approving or disapproving it (see notes on 1Th_5:20-22), rigorously comparing any teaching to the Scripture. ~ MacArthur Bible Commentary
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