1 John 4:1-8 New International
Version
On Denying the Incarnation
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.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
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.
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
How
to Tell What's Real
1 John 4:1-8
In 1992 a false prophet told South Korea that on a specific day at midnight the rapture would occur and to be ready you need to wear white and read your Bible. Jesus did not come on that night and the false prophet was arrested because he was so disruptive and affected too many people.
1 John 4:1 ESV
[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
The early church experienced this and warned about false spirits and prophets. It seems that it can be very easy to be dubbed and follow a false prophet, but John goes on to tell us.
1 John 4:2-3 ESV
[2] By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
The fact that Jesus came to the Earth in flesh shows God's love for us. God truly lived as a person and died to fulfill His promise. Our sins are forgiven and we are dead to this world and ready for the new world. We still live in the world and need to be aware of dangers, but not scared.
1 John 4:4 ESV
[4] Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
The world continues to have false spirits and prophets ready to deceive us, but we are on the winning side. Jesus is greater than the evil in this world. There are many false teachers, but Jesus is greater than them even if the world listens to them.
1 John 4:5-6 ESV
[5] They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
When we truly believe that Jesus came to earth thus God became human, we show that understanding of what God has done for us and the consequences of this. However, it is not enough just to know this. We have to practice this knowledge.
1 John 4:7 ESV
[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
The only way to do this is to love. Love is the proof that God lives in us. When we truly and fully believe that Jesus came to die for us. We can love like Jesus. We can forgive like Jesus. We can see others like how God sees us.
By not loving, we demonstrate that we do not have a genuine relationship with God.
1 John 4:8 ESV
[8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We need to make decisions to love like Christ. We need to forgive as Christ forgave us. We need to let Jesus live in us completely, so that the world will see Jesus in us and not the spirit of this present world.
1 John 4:1-8
In 1992 a false prophet told South Korea that on a specific day at midnight the rapture would occur and to be ready you need to wear white and read your Bible. Jesus did not come on that night and the false prophet was arrested because he was so disruptive and affected too many people.
1 John 4:1 ESV
[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
The early church experienced this and warned about false spirits and prophets. It seems that it can be very easy to be dubbed and follow a false prophet, but John goes on to tell us.
1 John 4:2-3 ESV
[2] By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
The fact that Jesus came to the Earth in flesh shows God's love for us. God truly lived as a person and died to fulfill His promise. Our sins are forgiven and we are dead to this world and ready for the new world. We still live in the world and need to be aware of dangers, but not scared.
1 John 4:4 ESV
[4] Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
The world continues to have false spirits and prophets ready to deceive us, but we are on the winning side. Jesus is greater than the evil in this world. There are many false teachers, but Jesus is greater than them even if the world listens to them.
1 John 4:5-6 ESV
[5] They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
When we truly believe that Jesus came to earth thus God became human, we show that understanding of what God has done for us and the consequences of this. However, it is not enough just to know this. We have to practice this knowledge.
1 John 4:7 ESV
[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
The only way to do this is to love. Love is the proof that God lives in us. When we truly and fully believe that Jesus came to die for us. We can love like Jesus. We can forgive like Jesus. We can see others like how God sees us.
By not loving, we demonstrate that we do not have a genuine relationship with God.
1 John 4:8 ESV
[8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We need to make decisions to love like Christ. We need to forgive as Christ forgave us. We need to let Jesus live in us completely, so that the world will see Jesus in us and not the spirit of this present world.
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