By This We Know the Spirit of God (1 John 4:1-3)

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” (1 John 4:1-3 NKJV)

How do we know the Spirit of God? This is the age of spirit. "Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits,” says John. There are all kinds of other gospels than the gospel preached by the apostles and prophets. They are merely coming out of the human thoughts and ideas. It is called the thought of the flesh infiltrated and occupied by the devil. However, it is not necessarily the problem of twenty first century, but of the first century as well. The false and fake gospels have been flooding throughout the centuries over centuries. So, John says to test the spirits whether they are of God because many false teachers and prophets have gone out in the world. They are the antichrists.

The test is this: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrists. Jesus Christ warned His disciples not be deceived in the Olivet Discourse. “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5 NKJV) Why is this test so significant? It is because if the coming of Christ Jesus as a human was denied then the whole thing prophesied in the scriptures would turn out to be sheer false. The whole scriptures, especially the Old, are aiming one Man the promised Christ to come.

In Hebrews Chapter 2 reveals the truth on why Jesus Christ must be a human just like us. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18 NKJV)

If any spirit is to be true, then it must be true in every way, especially when it is experienced in life. The truth remains and lasts the same forever, never being changed, contaminated, bended or compromised at times and by circumstances.

Earlier in this letter John says, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?.” (1 John 3:17 NKJV) Jesus Christ didn’t remain seated in heaven and just told us, “Your sins are forgiven.” In fact, that remarkable statement uttered by our Lord Jesus’s own lips to a woman caught in adultery. Jesus did not only speak in such a comforting and encouraging word, but also laid His own life for the woman and the whole race. As Hebrews tells us that He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is now and forevermore able to help us who are being tempted.

Our Lord Jesus is a remote celestial being who is watching over us, folding His arms around. No, absolutely not. He is in us, the hope of glory! In order to purchase and possess and made us righteous, He was crucified, shedding His sinless blood, died, buried, and most significantly raised again from the dead, because death cannot hold of him.

He agonized and struggled in prayer on the eve of the most torturous crucifixion in the Olivet Garden when the Father God in heaven made Him sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was totally left alone and the disciples slept and deserted. He wanted to evade the terrible ordeal, crying out three times, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

On the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ in extreme agony and pain loudly cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Although nothing can harm His life, He Himself gave up His spirit, saying “It is finished!”

All these things our Lord Jesus has done are in our place. We were crucified and died with Him, buried with Him, and raised from the dead again with Him. That’s the whole gospel. That’s the test.