LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 4:1-2, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many 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 of God.

 

You and I must be dedicated to truth and righteousness revealed in God’s Word. It is the only way we will not be deceived in these days we live in. How do we know who is a false teacher and who is not? John tells us to test the spirits to see if they are of God. How do we do that?

 

1 Corinthians 12:3 tells us, ”Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Holy Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Galatians 1:9 gives support to this, “As we have said before, and say again, If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you received (from the Word of God), let him be accursed.” “Christians are commanded to test all Christian teachers, writers, preachers, and prophets, and in fact any individual who claims his or her work or message comes from the Holy Spirit” (LSSB).  Make sure what you hear and what you read lines up with God’s Word! I have told my classes at school and I tell you to never take my words as true without making sure I line up with the Scriptures. I know if I write some error, I have those who will call me on it in a heartbeat! I am so thankful for that because I never want to mislead anyone with error.

 

We must test every spirit because “false prophets and false teachers” will enter the church and teach tolerance for error and unbiblical teaching. This is already happening as so many people do not want to hear truth because truth upsets their lifestyle and their desires. Believers cannot assume that one’s message or ministry or spiritual experience is from God just because one says it is. It must also be noted that one’s teaching or doctrine should not be accepted because it is successful and has a large following.

 

There is another test that might be used. The content of the message is to be tested but the spirit behind the message needs to be examined also. That means that the teaching or message must be supported by sound and critical examination of the Scriptural text. How many times have I encouraged a careful reading and study of God’s Word in order to know the real when the false comes? That helps us to at least question the teaching so we can see if it lines up with God’s Word.

 

One last point. Those who are reaching and preaching false doctrine betray themselves when they deny the deity of Jesus Christ.; they deny that He was God in a human body, fully divine and fully man. They deny His virgin birth, His redemptive death on a cross and His resurrection. Every time a message departs from the Word of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ, it opens the door to demonic spirits of deception. This is because the teaching is setting aside the authority and the trust we place in faith in God’s Word.

 

Why is this important? It is important because Jesus said in the days before His return for His Church there would be great deception from false prophets. Those days are here!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible