1JN 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 The opponents not only lay claim to God but boast of their inspiration by the “spirit” . Likely they gave evidence of their inspiration through “prophetic utterings” and perhaps even other signs, such as ecstasies and glossolalia. Such “signs” were present in the religious milieu of the Greeks and Romans and most persons took them seriously. That they sometimes caused special problems in the early church is attested by Paul (cf. 1Co 12:3; 14; 1Th 5:21). John’s warning here is not against those who pretend to have the Spirit’s presence but against genuine evil spirits’ inspiring of false prophets. Outwardly these people were no less inspired than members of the faithful community. They were zealous in proclamation (cf. 2Jn 7) and may have been even more successful than the faithful community in making converts from the world (4:5). Likely John saw in them the fulfillment of Jesus’ warnings (cf. Mk 13:22) against false prophets in the “end times” (cf. 2:18). His readers needed some test to discern the presence of false prophets.2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,2 The test itself appears to hinge on the words “that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” The false prophets may well have believed that Christ was the Savior of the world, but they denied the connection between the divine Christ and Jesus of Nazareth. At least they clearly denied that “the Christ” ever had come “in the flesh.” The clause “that Jesus Christ has come” reflects the author’s clear view of the preexistence of the Son, who came from the Father and from the moment of his historical birth was Jesus Christ in the flesh. How does this confession give evidence of the Spirit? For John, as for Paul, the truth of the Christian Gospel is hidden from the world (cf. 1Co 2:7-16). Only because there is a divine intervention and the darkness is removed can the light of the Gospel be recognized (cf. 4:6).3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.3 Here a negative confession gives the counterpart of that in v. 2, and the source of this denial is seen as “the spirit of the antichrist.” John reminds his followers that Jesus had warned that the Antichrist would come. It is now John’s painful duty to announce that in the false teachers (cf. 2:18ff.) the spirit of antichrist is already present. By this the community was warned that the conflict between the false teachers and John was not a “leadership” or “personality” one. The Gospel itself was at stake. The struggle they were facing was not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Eph 6:12). Hence, whatever success the opponents had had within the community resulted from satanic inspiration.
So how do we test it today? (We are looking at this just form this passage – there is more in cross referencing etc)
a. Ask the question. Is nit a message from Jesus Christ who came in the flesh.b. Does it line up with God’s other communication? The Bible – the big test is is it biblical. i. Biblical principals ii. Biblical in its treatment of people. iii. Biblical in its aim.c. Who gains? i. The person passing on the message or God.d. How do the elders react to it when they have evaluated the message?
Now, For the people John is writing to – the positive. They have overcome these wrong messages. 1JN 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.4 Once again the author addresses the community with “dear children” (see comment on 2:1). They have dealt with the false prophets, because they resisted their teaching (v. 5). Thus they are “from God”–i.e., “born of him” (2:29)–and the one who is in them is “greater than the one who is in the world” (v. 4). Here is something – The false teachers do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them because “living” involves “fellowship,” which is possible between God and his children only by the Holy Spirit. The false teachers are without this fellowship. Therefore they do not love because they do not know love. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
Now here is a real sobering statement. The world listens to them. How true. Look at Bishop Spong – denounces the divinity of Jesus and the world listens. What about Dawkins – denies God exists – the world listens. Brown – teaches false truth about Jesus – the world listens.
But we know.6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. It may not make sense to others but we know. Others may ridicule I but we know.
6 The author repeats the description of the true followers as “we [who] are from God.” The “we” includes all the faithful but has particular reference to the true teachers. Whoever has knowledge of God through fellowship with him by loving him and abiding in him and his Word “listens to us” , for the teachers proclaim the word heard “from the beginning” (cf. 1Jn 1:1). Thus a second test for discerning the presence of the Spirit of God has been added to the one developed in v. 2. When people confess that Jesus came in the flesh, then the “Spirit of truth” has been present and active. When people deny the Gospel and will not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, then “the spirit of falsehood” has been at work.This is about knowing what is orthodox, what is right knowledge. It is not about the trivial things that we can interpret slightly different but about the truth of the Jesus message. – The Gospel truth. From here we see John point out the Requirements for Fellowship With God Who Is Love (4:7-5:12)
A. Brotherly Love (4:7-12) 1JN 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
7 The address “dear friends” (lit., “beloved”;) and the author is speaking primarily to the community itself. Gathering The Church – John is speaking to those in the His intention is to provide final assurance that the community’s commitment to mutual love is the explicit requirement of the Gospel as revealed in God himself. Love for one’s brother “comes from God.” It is evidence of our being “born of God” that is as important as righteous behavior is (2:29). It is not a virtue innate in us nor is it learned behavior. It is “from God.” He is the originator–the giver of love. Furthermore, whoever truly loves “his brother” not only is born of God (2:28; 3:24) but also “knows God.” 8On the flip side, whoever does not love does not “know” God at all, for God in his very nature is love. This is tough. This week I had people come in and ask for a handout or assistance. We have no vouchers at the moment, some of them obviously had spent their last bit of money on alcohol the previous night while another had four stories and reasons in four minutes. How do you love these people. Part of my job is now acting as social agency. What is best for each person, most who I have never met, some who have not been responsible with what they have had, some involved in substance abuse. And on the spare of the moment I have to love them. Its hard. I know. Loving others sometimes is not easy. Nor is working out what is the best way to love them. We are one of the small churches in town, we just do not have the resources to help in the way these people expect. Dear Friends – since God loved us – we also ought to love one another. – Crikey – how.
9 The simple but profound statement “God is love” is explained by what God did. “He sent his one and only Son into the world” (cf. Jn 3:16-17). The author makes clear that the love he speaks of involves concrete actions. God’s love required him to send his Son. God’s love in us requires deeds by which we show our love for one another. The purpose of God’s act is “that we might live through him.” Death is our present condition (cf. 3:14); God intended that we might find life in him so that we might live in love as he works in and through us. 10 It is not that “we loved God” (3:17; 4:20), as his opponents claimed, but that “he loved us.” A gape love can be given to God only when it has first been received from God. It exists only as response to his initial love for us. Moreover, God’s love for us defines what true love requires–the commitment to sacrifice one’s most beloved possession for another’s gain. So for God, love required that he send “his Son as an atoning sacrifice [see comment on 2:2] for our sins.”
Basically speaking – we don’t have the money to help everyone. And when we have put money aside and it has become known – we have more people coming for help. What do we do – limit it? Don’t help anyone – stick our heads in the sand? I don’t have answers – maybe this will help. We could start a fund – and those people who feel lead can place money with the Treasurer I that fund and that could be used to assist. Now the decision still has to be made on the run in an instant by me. But if the congregation doesn’t put money in that fund and that includes me – then there isn’t the money – there are times when I am just generous because I feel for the people concerned. But this is about us not only me. Love demonstrated – we need to be strategic work out what is best for those people. Money, food, invitation to church – what’s best. So see Roger if you feel you want to contribute.
B. Living in God and Living in Love (4:13-16) In v. 12 the author linked living in God to loving one another. In 3:24 he linked living with God to obeying his commands. There, as here, the primary evidence for this relationship with God is the Holy Spirit. One of God’s expressions of love is the pre4sence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Those who know they live in God know also that they live in his love (v. 16). 1JN 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. C. Love Displaces Fear (4:17-18)
17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Just quickly look at verse 16 In my version it says we rely on the love of God – what a great way to say it. We are dependant on God’s love. Yep and in so many ways.
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