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ELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (1 John 4)
There are many spirits loose in the world, but only one which is Holy. Discernment is acquired through a reverential study of Holy Scripture. In that way, the counterfeit spirit will be immediately known.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. John gives his best counsel to us because we are also his ‘beloved.’ He warns that we must not simply accept every spiritual word that is uttered by professors (many of whom are false). How may we try the spirits? If the spirit being manifested is not subject to confirmation in God’s Word, we cannot believe that spirit. Though it may have its origin in a spirit, it is not the Spirit called Holy. Is the so-called modern gift of tongues subject to God’s Word to prove or disprove? It certainly cannot be since even the speaker has no idea what the gibberish means that he utters from a spiritual stupor. The first evidence of tongues-speaking (unknown languages) resulted from gross sin at a place called Babel. God confused their tongues as a result of pride and arrogance. Those who claim extra-biblical revelations such as secrets for financial gain, visits to heaven or hell, and aspects of prophecy upon which they write books for sensationalism and profit cannot be confirmed by Holy Writ, therefore we are not to believe, but shun them. John does not say there will be a few false prophets in the world, but MANY! Beware, my friends.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. This statement seems less comprehensive than it truly is. Confessing Jesus Christ and His coming in the flesh is no simple confession. It means accepting Christ in His complete manifestation as the Word in all its wholeness. If we do not believe that Christ was the whole Word Incarnate, we do not have a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can deny none of His attributes as that Word Incarnate!
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Those who irreverently assume that the Bible itself in its wording and context can be intellectualized and handled as man’s word are in trouble in view of this verse, and many others. Those who deny His nature through stratagems of revisionist translations of the Word already settled and preserved by men who were willing to die for the sake of that Word are those who seek pride and money for meddling with that established Word. They sit in their airy and puffy white castles of academia and ridicule the reformed faith based on the Reformed Bibles. These High-minded (read gutter minded) pseudo-theologians remind me of the poem The Preacher’s Mistake by Wm Doane:
The Preacher's Mistake
by William Croswell Doane
The parish priest
Of austerity,
Climbed up in a high church steeple
To be nearer God,
So that he might hand
His word down to His people.
When the sun was high,
When the sun was low,
The good man sat unheeding
Sublunary things.
From transcendency
Was he forever reading.
And now and again
When he heard a creak
Of the weather vane a-turning,
He closed his eyes
And said, Of a truth
From God I now am learning.
And in sermon script
He daily wrote
What he thought was sent from heaven,
And he dropped this down
On his people's heads
Two times one day in seven.
In his old age God said,
Come down and die!
And he cried out from the steeple,
Where art Thou, Lord?
And the Lord replied,
Down here among My people.
-Logos of St Andrew Spring 98
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. The battle is rhetorical in nature since the war has been won already by Christ on Calvary. The greater portion of the world is unfamiliar with the victory of Christ over Satan. They believe that they can go on sinning with impunity without any consequence. After the conclusion of the Civil War, there occurred a battle between Union and Confederate forces outside the Confederate-occupied town of Brownsville. The main battle was fought at Palmito Ranch on 12 May 1865. The Confederates were unaware of Lee’s surrender and won the battle by the decimation of the Union forces sent against them. Little did they know that they had already lost the war even if they had won the last battle of it. The same holds true for the unruly kids of Satan.
They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. It is impossible for a man born outside of Alabama to be considered on a par with the locals in any rural community of the state. The same is true of the world. If we are born from on high, how much more foreign will the world consider us? They will trust their own, and their own belief that they control the reins of power. The most accomplished deceiver will always rise to the top in the political world – need I say more – and those who are willing to tamper with the scales will make the greatest profit at market.
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Why do those who know God hear us? Because we speak the will of God both with our lips and our living. Those who do not know God will not hear us for our speech is foreign to them. They cannot understand the beautiful gems of mystery that have been opened to you in Christ. To the world, it is foolishness.
Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Those who are at enmity with God’s Word, as well as toward those who honor Him, are the spirit of error. Simple isn’t it. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. We have the skin color, eyes, and hair of our parents. We also have the cardinal markings of our heavenly Father if we belong to Him. The greatest characteristic that defines God is LOVE. He is more than Love, but it is that love of His that we can inherit from Him in our new birth.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. God sent His Son into the world with full knowledge of His rejection and suffering. But God did so out of an over-arching love. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Please look closely at this verse. The point here is that Love is initiated by God, not us. In our natural state, we hate God. But He took the step of Love toward us and we, being the recipient of that love, have the privilege to respond with that which we did not have before – the Love of God. The Love of God is a Fountain of Living Waters springing up from our formerly desert hearts.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. If a stranger stops and helps us with a flat tire on the snow-swept highway of life, should we not stop to help a child whose bicycle has suffered a wreck on that same highway? He has demonstrated what we did not know – LOVE. He proved that Love through His sacrifice. All we must do is respond with love for Him and for His people. Is this asking too much, friend?
No man hath seen God at any time. Does the verse have any exception in it, or does it say NO MAN? But what of those who have written of their 90 Minutes in Heaven? They are liars. They attempt to steal for themselves the glory of Christ: And NO MAN hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13) Only a few decades ago, these scriptures were common knowledge to the farmer, the woodsman, the housewife, and the leader of the nation. What has happened that we allow ourselves to be led down the primrose path of foolish deceit and distraction?
If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Love always pays a high-interest rate. The love of God shared among His people is multiplied at least as many times as shared. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. The expression of God’s Spirit is manifested through our love. If we are the greatest benefactors of widows and orphans, and the ones with the most spotless record of helping the poor, but do so for any reason other than love, we are lost and without hope.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. We not only have John’s record but that of the Lord Himself. His coming is a matter of record also even in secular history. How can we not know? If we confess Jesus as the Son of God, it is a confession of the heart and only made public through the spoken word. A false statement of faith avails nothing!
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. John seems unable to escape a frequent reference to God in terms of His Love. Can it be because John has experienced such a great measure of Love from God? Why would he? Perhaps because John demonstrates such an abundance of Love for his brothers and sisters in Christ. He constantly reinforces that love by the term BELOVED. This love comes from God and is multiplied by its expression by us.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. Love is characterized by ghostly strength and courage. A woman will give her life, without question, for her darling child. She would not do so for any other object perhaps, but certainly for the object of her love. If we practice perfect love, we will have no cause for doubt on the Day of Judgement. Our love will testify to Christ through His own abundant love.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. The Syrophoenician woman and the woman taken with an issue of blood did not allow fear to prevent them from approaching Christ for their great need – one on behalf of her little daughter, the other on her own behalf. Has it prevented you from approaching Christ?
John is an excellent teacher. He teaches through constant repetition of the salient points he wants to convey. We love him, because he first loved us. Yes, little children, once again, why do we love Christ? Because he first loved us! The more oft-repeated a thought in our ears, the better retained in our memories.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? We have plenty of examples in our ultra-large churches in the pastor and deacons claiming to love those whose names they cannot recall or whose homes they have never visited. We must have that Godly disposition to love one another if we can ever claim to love God.
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. If you were required to summarize all of the writings of John into a single word, what word would you use? I believe that word would be LOVE! The writings of each apostle are characterized by some essential and vital approach, but that of John, I believe, is LOVE and that which is had in Christ!
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