Test the Spirits
Test the Spirits Excerpt John begins with a warning about the false spirits in the world. Keep in mind that the NT was not yet completed and what had been written was not widely known; until the completion of the NT , the local churches depended on the ministry of people with spiritual gifts to teach them truth. How could a believer know when a preacher was from God and that his message could be trusted? ( See 1 Thes. 5:19–21 .) After all, Satan is an imitator. John states that the false spirits will not confess that Jesus is the Christ ( see 1 Cor. 12:3 ). The false cults today deny the deity of Christ and make Him a mere man or an inspired teacher. But the Christian has the Spirit within, the new nature, and this gives overcoming power. There are two spirits in the world today: God’s Spirit of Truth, who speaks through the inspired Word, and Satan’s spirit of error that teaches lies ( 1 Tim. 4:1 ff). Teachers ...