What Is Real Love? A Guide to 1 JohnSample

1 John 4:1-6

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:1-6 NLT

Pray: Father, give me the wisdom to know your voice. Help me to sort out the truth from the lies. Jesus, keep me close to you. When I start to drift, bring me back. Holy Spirit, thank you for living in me and filling me with power. Lead me and guide me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What do you do when someone claims to have a message from God? How can you know if they are telling the truth? Today, John offers some wisdom to help us navigate this challenge, and encouragement to help us remember how God sees us. Let’s jump in.

1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 1 John 4:1 NLT

Right off the bat, John lets us know that we absolutely should not believe everyone who says they’re speaking for God. Because as we’ve learned a lot on this journey, just saying a thing doesn’t make it true. Even if you insist that it is. For something to be true, it must be consistent with reality.

For example, if someone says, “2+2=5” we can test that by seeing what happens if you take two dollars, add them to another two dollars, and try to buy something that costs five dollars. If you try that, you’ll be told you are one dollar short. We can test the truth of a claim by seeing how it stacks up with reality.

It can be a little bit trickier to test truth claims that are made about God, because God is a spiritual being who exists beyond the scope of space, time, and matter. Thankfully though, He has revealed Himself through the Scriptures, through the person of Jesus, and through the witness of the Holy Spirit. If a claim doesn’t line up with those three things, then we can know it isn’t true.

2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 1 John 4:2-3 NLT

In this Scripture, John tells us the easiest thing to look for in our attempts to discern whether or not someone is really speaking on behalf of God: do they agree that Jesus was a real person who came in a real body? If they do, that’s a great starting point. If they don’t, then you can know they are not speaking for God. In fact, John tells us the exact opposite is true. They are actually anti-God and the truth He wants us to know.

There are a whole lot of people who will make a whole lot of claims about God, Jesus, and the Christian life. As disciples, we must test those claims to see how they stack up against the truth of Scripture, the person of Jesus, and the witness of the Spirit. Does the Bible support what they’re saying? Does what they’re saying line up with the character and commands of Jesus? Is the Holy Spirit confirming what’s being said or nudging you to be skeptical?

Let these questions be a guide to help you discern whether or not someone really is speaking God’s truth, or the enemy’s lies.

4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4 NLT

If you’ve put your faith in Jesus, then you belong to God. And that means you’ve already won a victory over the people who want to trick you with lies and half-truths. The Spirit of God is alive in you and that Spirit is so much greater and more powerful than anything the world can throw at you.

Because you belong to God, you are becoming like Jesus. His Spirit is guiding you into all truth so you can live as a person of truth.

5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 1 John 4:5 NLT

The people John is talking about are those who claim to speak for God but are really just spreading lies. They belong to the world, a society ruled by the devil and fueled by sin. Because they belong to the world, their words are not built on truth. Even worse, they’ve backed themselves into an echo chamber that keeps reinforcing these false ideas so that they don’t even know the difference between what’s true and what’s not.

Before we knew Jesus, we were trapped in the same situation. Before Jesus brought us into the light, we were lost in the darkness. But not anymore.

6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception. 1 John 4:6 NLT

Now, we belong to God, and because we belong to Him, we are becoming more like Him. Every choice to speak truth, hear truth, and live truth makes us more like Jesus. Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Application: Next time you hear someone claim to speak on behalf of God, test what they’re saying by asking these questions: “Is this consistent with Scripture? Is this consistent with Jesus? What is the Holy Spirit telling me?” If you’re up for it, test what we’ve written in this Plan. Because we are not God. We’re just doing our best to interpret the truth of His Word in a way that will help you become a person of truth.