Lesson 11
1 John 4 New International Version
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. 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, 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.
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. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 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[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
1 – First Impression?
Discernment, on your guard, hope, do not compromise, and be aware were the other responses. My response was I had never seen a spirit, so I was always confused by this verse.
2 – How many spirits have you run across, and did you remember to test them?
Since I had not seen any, I had not tested any. But my group said they had. So maybe I was unaware.
3 – So, John does not mean literal spirits, but concepts that are being presented. When you hear a new concept, do you have a process for testing its validity or do you just listen and go on with your life?
I never had a literal process, but my mind does take in new ideas and test to see where it fits with all I know. One issue with this is that I never remember where I learned something. I never really know when my mind takes a new idea and accepts it over what I once knew. I have faith that God lives in my heart, I have faith that my brain checks in with my heart (and God), and I know that my brain can work things out better when I do not get in the way. I am trying to be a little more diligent about looking at new ideas and integrating the good into the “me”, but I know more than I know.
4 – Acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. What about Jesus makes this important and what did you learn from others when discussing this topic?
This was deceptively simple. Jesus was God. Everything else flows from this fact. Denying the divinity of Christ never ends well.
5 – Does not acknowledge Jesus. How long of a conversation did you have with someone who denied Jesus and what was your takeaway?
Many of the group have had long discussions. I like to discuss things and yet, I do not have long conversations with deniers. I believe it is not up to me to convince anyone of God’s true nature, but for God to help reveal Himself through me.
6 – What is the differentiator between acknowledging, not acknowledging, and denying?
It is either acknowledge or deny, there is no third option.
7 – God is greater than those of the world. What if those in the world do not believe this? How does this impact our relationships to them?
When someone denies the divinity of God, then they deny Christ, and do not have the gift of eternal life. If they are not saved, then our job is to help them figure it out.
8 – Those who do not believe will listen to the words of those who also do not believe and not listen to those who believe. Those who believe will listen to others who believe. How do we use this information to direct our interactions with others?
If someone does not believe in God, then referencing the Bible as the Word of God is useless. We cannot base our interactions with them on scripture but must use the acts of God on our own lives as our witness.
9 – Truth or Falsehood. We can recognize it. We seem to be able to use this recognition to determine if those who hear us are believers or not. Is this for judging or if not, what is it for?
It is not for judging. It is for discerning how we are to relate to the other person. Do they believe in God? Do they believe in Jesus? Have they accepted Jesus? Use this ability to direct our efforts.
10 – How have you used the resources discussed here in your life? Do you need to grow?
I definitely need to grow. John is still focused on how believers are to interface within the church to make sure they are following godly leadership. God has given us the Bible, the experiences of our lives, and the experiences of our relationship with Him. Each of these fits together and whatever does not align perfectly needs to be tested and either perfected, or thrown out. There is only one truth and regardless of what our eyes see, our ears hear, or our minds conceive, only God can arbitrate what is truth.