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Prepare: A stranger comes to your church and says he knows something that will change your life! What would you want to know about him before you listened?
God and man
John wants his readers to know how to discern whether a preacher is speaking from the spirit of God (v 1) There is a simple test: do they believe that Jesus both came from God and was truly human (v 2)? Anyone who believes otherwise is not speaking from God (v 3).
False prophets preached that Jesus was spirit and not truly human, but gave the impression they spoke as if from God. Jesus himself warned that these false prophets would come ‘disguised as harmless sheep’ (Matthew 7:15), appearing to come from God.
True test
There are still false teachers around today, and they can be difficult to recognise. They may be popular and have a big following (v 5). The test is just the same – do they believe that Jesus was from God, that he was 100 per cent divine, but was born in the usual way and was therefore 100 per cent human?
If they do not believe this, they will just ignore the true believers (v 6). Some cults that look Christian at first glance may avoid giving a straight answer, but true Christians of whatever denomination will be able to respond with a resounding yes to this question (v 4).
Respond: Thank God for the Christian education you have received over the years, and pray for all those who work hard to teach Christian beliefs to young children.
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-09-29
God and man
John wants his readers to know how to discern whether a preacher is speaking from the spirit of God (v 1) There is a simple test: do they believe that Jesus both came from God and was truly human (v 2)? Anyone who believes otherwise is not speaking from God (v 3).
False prophets preached that Jesus was spirit and not truly human, but gave the impression they spoke as if from God. Jesus himself warned that these false prophets would come ‘disguised as harmless sheep’ (Matthew 7:15), appearing to come from God.
True test
There are still false teachers around today, and they can be difficult to recognise. They may be popular and have a big following (v 5). The test is just the same – do they believe that Jesus was from God, that he was 100 per cent divine, but was born in the usual way and was therefore 100 per cent human?
If they do not believe this, they will just ignore the true believers (v 6). Some cults that look Christian at first glance may avoid giving a straight answer, but true Christians of whatever denomination will be able to respond with a resounding yes to this question (v 4).
Respond: Thank God for the Christian education you have received over the years, and pray for all those who work hard to teach Christian beliefs to young children.
http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-09-29
Scripture
About this Plan
WordLive provides a daily slice of Bible reading and commentary that, over four years, covers most of the Bible. The commentary encourages the reader to engage with the Bible passage in order to deepen their relationship with God, through reflection and practical application. The WordLive website offers further multimedia content and group Bible study, while registration offers a daily email, journal and bookmarking, and community tools.
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We would like to thank Scripture Union England & Wales for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.wordlive.org/youversion
