1 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 Little children 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.
Comment: What did you think as you read this short but idea packed passage? I’ll go through it bit by bit, telling you what was central in my thinking. Don’t feel inhibited in disagreeing with me or in expanding my thoughts! Let me know if you think it will help me! Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God – surely test means something like assess accurately, even judge ‘every spirit’. What does ‘spirit’ mean here? Maybe teaching or emotive/spiritual ‘dreams’ or a new idea suggested in a sermon or in a University lecture or maybe in the news gazette? ‘for many false prophets have gone out into the world.‘ The devil uses any tool that he can find to oppose the gospel! Prophets and prophecies do come in many disguises! ‘Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.‘ What does this include? Does it include the virgin birth? What about the messiahship of Jesus? The Biblical story of the Resurrection, Jesus’ perfect life, the Ascension and promised return of Jesus? ‘This is the spirit of the antichrist.’ – does this underline the Universality and Uniqueness of the gospel? ‘Little children‘ – does this refer to our immaturity or to our the simple trusting quality of our ‘faith’? ‘Little children Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us.‘ – Surely this doesn’t mean that John and his friends only had the truth. I fancy that it refers to the Apostolic teaching, the orthodoxy of pure faith! ‘By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.‘ Maybe we can hear the Apostles’ accents these day (primarily Galilean) but we can so clearly ‘hear’ their pure teaching as we ‘read’ the scriptures!
2Timothy 2: 15&16a – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble.
Prayer: Please help me to rather than being self-opinionated be truly Bible, Apostolically informed.
As I read it! 