Divine Power

"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. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 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. 4 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. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 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 4:1-3 ESV)

This passage is relevant today, not only locally but globally. When John spoke of the many antichrists, he was speaking of those who were false teachers and prophets. We see many of these men and women today.

Locally, we see the man-centered prosperity churches preaching a false gospel. Many claim to be apostles, unaware of or subverting the biblical requirement to be an apostle. We have those who preach, “Get your best life now.” All anti-Christs are falsifying the Lord’s gospel and leading millions to hell. Just say this prayer, and you will be saved. The “sinners prayer” will lead millions to hell thinking they were saved in Christ when they are actually entrenched in the world.

What about the sub-Saharan African desert, where millions receive the twisted prosperity gospel? The spreading growth of Islam denies the Son of God, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism are all false religions. Gnostic modern theological liberalism, or moralistic therapeutic deism, all lead many away from Christ.

Let us add our biggest threat, the prince of the power of the air, to the mix. His imps, minions, and evil spirits torment those who do not know Christ. But we know differently. Not every leading of the Spirit is holy, and not every exposition of scripture is correct. Every single one of us is called to fight these threats against the church. We are called to test the spirits. We know to evaluate what is holy and what is not.

Given that we are blessed with the knowledge of the evil around us, we must evaluate and open our mouths to others, proclaiming the false prophets and teachers to those deceived. We are to counter the false gospels and educate others on the mercy and grace of the Lord. In this battle, we must remember that this testing has two fronts—one of the spirits and one of the worlds. No message, leading, or movement of the true holy Spirit will ever distort, minimize, or mock the Lord. The front found in the world are the things found in the world. False prophets will use lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life to entice people to follow them.

We must also remember that the enemy knows scripture and will twist it to sound correct but be contrary to the word of God. There is a supernatural presence around false teachers and prophets, an aura of evil and the world. They give a message that the sin in all of us wants to hear.

So, how do we not get duped? How are we not tricked? We are a sin-prone, lowly, and depraved creation being bombarded with evil. How do we survive? First, John tells us that we have the knowledge to recognize evil and renounce it. In John’s apostolic authority, he tells us that any spirit that recognizes and confesses Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God comes from God. John also tells us that every spirit that professes Christ is not from God. Anytime we as Christians deny the incarnation, we become a heretic. Heretics come internally from inside the church, from inside Christianity. So, the first way to victory is to remember anyone or; any spirit who denies Christ is not of God—two key words: confess and profess.  Confessing Christ as the incarnate Son of God is a truthful confession in the Spirit. However, a deceptive profession to the contrary cannot come from God.

Secondly, John tells us that as we evaluate others, we should consider the reception of apostolic teaching. As in verse 6, we have faith in the inerrancy of the Bible and apostolic teaching. We trust in and are faithful to scripture.

Our faith is our shield against the onslaught of false teachings and prophets. As John wrote, the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. We have been endowed with the divine power of God through grace, and our faith will not allow us to be swayed by the world. Christ is in us, God is in us, and when we abide in Him, we are being perfected through Him. The Holy Spirit in us is infinitely greater than Satan.

Our victory is assured in Christ. But for others to share in this victory, they must hear the gospel. It is our responsibility to proclaim the gospel so that those who are still in the world, chosen by God, can hear it and be empowered by God to receive it, thereby coming to faith in Christ.

Check yourself: what do you believe? What are you being taught? Is it in the Bible? Does it confess the incarnation of Christ Jesus? If you do not know Christ, seek him now. It is urgent that you profess faith in Him because only He can save you from your sins. If you have questions on the incarnation of the Lord, reach out to us here at In Messiah.

Grace and Peace!