Testing the Spirits
1 John 4:1–11
Let’s consider John’s advice this morning that we should
“Test the Spirits”.
First, we need to understand that when he says “spirits”
here, he doesn’t mean “ghosts”, but rather sources of truth.
For Christians, the Holy Spirit is the source of truth – the
one who inspires the written word of God.
If you want to know what the Holy Spirit has to say, you simply look to
the Scriptures. He is the Spirit of
Christ, and will never contradict Christ, but points us to Christ, extols
Christ, Likewise Jesus is one with the
Father, and takes what the Father gives him and declares it to us.
The problem is, there are many other “spirits” running
around, with many claims – many false claims – trying to deceive us. False prophets teaching false gospels and
false ideas as truth. There are liars of
every sort and ilk, and even in the Christian church, yes, even claiming to
speak for Christ!
One false claim that has held much sway in our times is the
teaching of postmodernism – the self-refuting claim that there is no such thing
as truth, but only YOUR truth and MY truth and someone else’s truth. Applied to morality, this thinking makes
plenty of wiggle room for you to justify almost any sin. Oh, you want to live together outside of
marriage? Well, it’s ok if you love each
other. Oh, you want to end your
pregnancy? Well it’s your body, your choice. Oh, you want to end your own life? Well who am I to tell you that isn’t a good
idea?
We have so radicalized our ideas of self-determination that even
the truth of one’s biology is now subject to the whims of how you feel, even at
the moment – what gender would you like to be today? Oh, 2 genders is too limiting for you? Let’s invent some more… And on it goes – disconnected from reality.
But let’s not just pick on the low-hanging fruit, the easy
to see and most egregious examples of the lies we are being fed, and consider
the lies we Christians tell ourselves.
The lies we don’t even need a false prophet to preach, because we preach
them to ourselves in the quiet of our heads.
This sin doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t hurt anyone. Everyone does it. I’m worth it.
I deserve it. No one will find
out.
This sin isn’t really a big deal and of course God only cares
about the big sins. And that person’s
sin is far worse than mine so I must be ok.
I don’t need to repent of this sin.
Or I’ll set it up so that I can keep repenting but then keep
sinning. Thanks, God, for making it so
convenient for me.
And while these are lies we tell ourselves, of course they
are also of the devil, the Father of Lies. The original spirit of lies, the false prophet
of false prophets. His lies, when it
comes to God, are generally of two sorts:
Sometimes he will minimize sin, and sometimes he will maximize it.
When he minimizes sin, he gets you to believe your sin isn’t
that serious. “It’s no big deal. Just one little bite of an apple, and look
how much good it will bring you! See,
sin is really a good thing! It’s not
something you really need to avoid. God
won’t punish you for it. You will not
die. No need to fuss with all those
commandments – too much work. Set your
own rules. Be your own boss. You know what’s right for you. Leave all this sin-talk behind.”
And if sin isn’t so serious, then who needs Jesus,
anyway? What do I want with
forgiveness? Who goes to see the doctor
when they’re the picture of health?
Ah, but on the other hand, the devil can try to maximize
your sins. Amplify and magnify them,
make them seem so big, so bad, that even God can’t forgive them. This is why we call him the Accuser
(Satan). He knows how to stick his
pointing finger into your wounded conscience and twist it around. He knows how to keep bringing to your mind
the sins that God has already forgiven.
He weaves his doubts about it any which way he can. He asks, “Did God really say…..?”
Don’t believe the lies, Christian. Test the spirits. Yes, your sins are many, and they are
serious. But Jesus Christ has paid the
price for sin – all sin – even yours – even the big ones! So when he says you stand forgiven, when his
word says you are forgiven – believe it!
Now, John gives us a major clue in our task of testing the
spirits. If a prophet or a preacher or
someone claiming to speak truth comes around and denies Jesus Christ has come
in the flesh – that spirit is anti-Christ.
In other words, what one teaches about Jesus Christ is a major litmus
test of what kind of spirit we are dealing with. Is it the Spirit of Christ or a false and
misleading spirit – a spirit that is anti-Christ?
Any prophet who claims Jesus isn’t the eternal Son of God is
telling lies. Any preacher who claims
Jesus didn’t die for the sins of the world is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Any pastor who points you to your own merit
or worthiness rather than to Christ and his cross is just a bad pastor.
But God does give you prophets, pastors, teachers, preachers,
apostles, and all manner of servants to guide you in his word. Contrary to the false prophet, the true
prophet speaks truthfully, and points you to Christ crucified for you. A true prophet doesn’t stray from the Word of
God, but adheres to it, that you may abide in Jesus, your Savior.
And you, the people of God, are called to test the
spirits. That goes even for the words
that issue from this pulpit. And while
it is good to be able to trust your preacher to be faithful and not lead the
flock astray, it is also good the people of God keep him honest, keep him from
going astray, and hold him accountable to the very word that he has sworn to
uphold and proclaim.
But that also assumes you know the word of God you will be
using as the standard of testing.
That word for testing in the Greek evokes the process of
testing coins to see which is counterfeit and which is genuine. It’s sometimes translated as “examining” or “proving”,
as in, “proving to be genuine”.
I was once told that when U.S. government officials, say at
the Mint, are trained to spot counterfeit money, they actually don’t spend much
time studying the fake dollar bills or the many signs of a fraud. Rather, they spend countless hours studying
the real thing - every detail, every feature of the genuine money. And knowing it so well, like the back of your
own hand, is what truly empowers them to spot a fraud.
So it is with Scripture, and with the Gospel. You are trained to “test the Spirits” by your
study of the word, by your hearing it proclaimed regularly. When you are fed a
rich diet of the Word of God, and when you are soaked in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, when you abide in him – stay connected to him, the True Vine, by means
of his word and regularly receiving his sacrament.
And we see with the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
today – another example of this. Here
was a man, a God-fearing gentile, who studied the scriptures earnestly. And yet he had questions, and needed
instruction. The Spirit brought Phillip
to the Eunuch, to teach in him the scriptures, beginning with that Isaiah
passage, and showing him throughout the whole Old Testament – and connecting it
all to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So
the Eunuch received that good news with joy, and was even baptized. He tested the spirits – and by God’s grace found
the truth in Jesus Christ – to his own salvation.
Today, God also provides his people with teachers and
preachers to help us in our own study of the word – resources to help us delve
deeper and see Christ more clearly. And
so we give thanks and pray that God will continue to supply us with faithful
pastors for the church. And we pray that
the church would make use of this word and this teaching! Read and hear, learn and grow and study, and
abide in his word.
So today and always, Christians, test the spirits – pay attention
to the word of truth, and you will know the false prophet. In the end, there are only two alternatives –
the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Christ or the antichrist. There are those who are children of the world,
and us who are the children of God.
There are the branches that stay connected to the vine, and those who
separate from him. Abiding in him we
bear much fruit. Apart from him we can
do nothing. Abide in Jesus, and in his
word, and live.
Amen.
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