Knowing God and Known by God

Testing the Spirits

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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 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.

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. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 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.

The big issue throughout 1 John is how John presents the differences between those who are genuinely saved and those who are not. Genuine believers demonstrate the reality of their salvation by not continuing to walk in sin or darkness. They walk in the light, with no reason to hide their deeds. This is completely contrary to our natural tendency: when we do something wrong, we hide it, lie about it, and only show the good parts of our lives. John says hiding sin is un-Christian.

In the recent context, believers demonstrate love, especially for other Christians. If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God. God is greater than our heart. In that position, we can ask of God, and he will give us, as in the Psalms: delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Those with uncondemning hearts have confidence because their sins are covered and forgiven.

Those who receive from God keep his commandments and do what pleases him. Are we doing what God commands and what pleases him? Many ask God for things, but those who receive are obedient. They know what to ask that aligns with God's pleasure, like more holiness. They obey, seek righteousness, and ask accordingly.

The specific commandments are to believe in the name of Jesus Christ—Yahweh saves—and to love one another, as Jesus taught: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Whoever keeps these remains in God, and we know he abides in us by the Spirit he has given us.

These are ways to reassure our hearts before God and assure our salvation. We believe Jesus saves and love one another—not just in word, but in deed and truth. We know God abides in us by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. This distinguishes Christians: God himself lives within us.

Don't believe every spirit, but test them, especially false prophets—not as ghost hunters, but recognizing humans teaching falsely, with a spiritual or demonic side. Anybody claiming to be Christian isn't automatically trustworthy—not even my sermons. Test everything. Even the spirit of the antichrist was already in the world in John's day.

Confessing Jesus Christ in the Flesh

Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

John combated Gnosticism, from the Greek word for knowledge. Gnostics claimed secret spiritual knowledge: matter is evil, spirit is good. Salvation was ascending to this knowledge, held by an elite. They accepted Jesus but denied he came in the flesh, since flesh is evil. They said he was a spirit who merely appeared human, undermining his real death and resurrection.

This gives us a gem: the incarnation—Jesus took real humanity while remaining God, veiling his glory. If someone denies this essential doctrine, they are not from God. Broadly, any spirit not confessing Jesus as the Bible reveals him is the spirit of antichrist—against Christ and in place of him.

Roman emperors claimed to be lord (Kurios) and savior, demanding worship. Christians said only Jesus is Lord, facing death. Today, people accept Christianity if it accepts them—gay, trans, bisexual, etc.—but the Bible condemns these. Professing Christians endorsing sinful lifestyles are false teachers. That's unloving? No, love obeys God's commandments. God loved us first, sending his Son as propitiation for our sins—a total change of life.

Confessing Jesus in the flesh affirms his mission: he took humanity to die for sins, appeasing God's wrath, bringing newness of life. Everyone must change—no discrimination against certain sins, but against all sin. Everybody stops being who they are and becomes like Christ. Anything else is antichrist doctrine.

Overcoming by the Greater Spirit

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.

There are many antichrists (plural) and one ultimate Antichrist (singular). False teachers are from the world, speak worldly things, and the world listens. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us—the apostles' teaching, the New Testament, Jesus' teachings. Early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles' doctrine.

Some venerate Jesus' "red letter" words over others, but the entire Bible is God's word. Apostles' words harmonize with Jesus'. "Listen" (akouo) means hear and obey—not just hear. Hearing without doing is self-deception, like James says: be doers, not hearers only. Christians listen and obey because the Holy Spirit enables them.

God is Love

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was manifested among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have 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 also ought to love one another.

We didn't love God first; he loved us when we were unlovable—God-haters, dead in sin. He set eternal love on us, sending his Son as propitiation (hilasmos), removing God's wrath.

This motivates us to love others, even the unlovely, because God loved us first with saving grace. Love in deed and truth. Preach 1 John 4:10 to yourself: God loved you and redeemed you perfectly. Those receiving this are impacted, motivated to love fellow believers.

Ask: Does Christ's propitiation move you? Do you love other Christians? These reassure you are genuine.