1 John 4: My dear friends, do not
believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the
spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out
everywhere. 2 This is how you will be able to know
whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a
human being has the Spirit who comes from God. 3 But anyone who denies this
about Jesus does not have the Spirit from God. The spirit that he has is from
the Enemy of Christ; you heard that it would come, and now it is here in the
world already.
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“Measure twice, cut
once” were the sage words of my uncle and my construction teacher. I was
learning some light carpentry and those who had deep experience warned me that
if I cut a board too small, then I would have wasted that board.
- I was taught that the material is precious, so be careful with it.
- I learned that whatever goes into the project should be a good fit.
- I was warned to test out the material before installing it permanently.
John addressed “relative
belief.” He may have observed people “who
clam the have the Spirit”, but in reality were not believers in JESUS, rather
on the hunt for a crowd. John may have wanted to provide protection for
believers by providing them with a way to test the Spirit.
My Observations:
- There are those who claim to have the Spirit, who are not believers in JESUS.
- Believers in JESUS should be able to say HE became a human, was murdered by HIS creation and HE was raised from the dead.
- Before placing words in my heart, I should test them first by testing the person delivering the message.
Adding false belief
to my heart can be detrimental. I mean, if I go down the road with someone who
is saying false things about JESUS, then I could be seriously, if not eternally
injured. BUT GOD made a way.
JESUS did become a
human. In fact, HE was the perfect human who never sinned. HE lived as a human
and felt every pain and temptation we can face. HE was slandered and murdered
to die for your sins and mine. I am glad HE gives us a way to test the Spirit
to keep us from harm.
Challenge
- Why does the writer provide this warning?
- Is there any danger in believing in “my made up truth?”
- Will you test the Spirit of those who are giving you advice by asking if he or she believes that JESUS is GOD, who became a human and was raised from the dead to become the forgiver of our sins?
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