Certain Eternity Part 34 – Testing the Spirits Part 2
1 John 4:1-6 July 13, 2025
Introduction
How many have gone or are planning on going to the shore this summer? The
ocean can look so beautiful and inviting on the surface, but even when the waves
on the surface are calm, the deeper down you go the more deadly it becomes. In
the depths of the oceanic abyss survival is not possible…the deeper you dive,
not only do you lack oxygen, but pressure becomes so great that it would crush
any person trying to swim there under their own strength. The true dangers and
chaos of the ocean are revealed in its depths, regardless of what is visible on the
surface.
1 John 4:1-6 “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. 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. 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.
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.”
Last week: 1) Caution (v1), 2) Challenge of the Outward (v2-3) (A) Confession of
Christ’s person and work, and B) Confession of Christ’s Lordship)
1 John 4:1 “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.”
o “Test” (Gk. dokimazō) [Note present continuous, imperative, plural –
ongoing command for all to heed] – to scrutinize and examine so as to
determine the substantive worthiness, genuineness, or truth of a thing
“4 Part Confessional” test:
o [See Part 12 on in depth discussion of confession] “Confess” (Gk.
homologeō) literally means to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree
with, assent or concede, to profess that what the other says is true
Last week we looked at the outward tests…what is visible on the surface of the
ocean. This week John moves us to look at depths, as we look at 2 more
Confessions that focus on inward tests to challenge false teaching and self-
deception: 1) Confession of Identity in Christ and, 2) Confession of Accountability
Under Christ
Challenge of the Inward (v5-6)
Test 3) “Confession” of identity in Christ (v5)
o Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
V1 outward…V2 inward
o What defines us…to what do we belong, to what are we conformed…what
do we really worship? This is our identity.
Our values, standards, motivations, goals and self-view are all
evidences or “fruit” of our identity…but these things all can be faked
in a moment
o So how do you discern someone’s identity as a follower of Jesus or as a
deceiver of the enemy?
We’ve all seen the superheroes with secret identities…Clark Kent
with superman, Bruce Wayne with batman, Peter Parker as
spiderman….very few superheroes with a secret identity pull the Tony
Stark and just announce to the world that they are ironman. And no
false teachers are going to go around announcing that they are
wolves in sheep’s clothing.
o If you observe someone long enough and closely enough, John tells us that
their identity will be revealed.
o 1 John 4:5 “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world,
and the world listens to them.”
Identity is evidenced by how a person speaks and by who listens to
what a person has to say
1) is the world system influencing what people say
o Matthew 12:33-34 “out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks”
o Listen to what people say…is it full of the truth of the word
of God or is it filled with worldly wisdom – self-centered,
man justifying teaching that keeps “me” at the center of
my thinking.
o James 3:14-16 “14 But if you have bitter jealousy and
selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false
to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down
from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For
where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be
disorder and every vile practice.”
o “Speak” (Gk. laleō) originally meant simply to make a
sound like the chatter of birds or the prattling of children.
Laleo expresses the idea of talking without much weight
or purpose, talking long and idly, chattering.
The world is superficial and self-centered so the talk
of a false teacher will ultimately be devoid of the
truth of God and will glorify themselves and not the
Lord.
2) does the world system affirm what someone says
o D Edmond Hiebert wisely recognized “The world listens
to those who speak its own language.”
The world loves to affirm that which agrees with its
selfish, hedonistic, pride-filled pursuits
Romans 1:32 “Though they know God’s righteous
decree that those who practice such things deserve
to die, they not only do them but give approval to
those who practice them.”
John 17:9-10, 13-19 “9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for
the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in
them…. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in
the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have
given them your word, and the world has hated them because they
are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that
you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil
one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into
the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I
consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Test 4) “Confession” of accountability under Christ (v6)
o 1 John 4:6 “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.”
John 8:47 “Whoever is of God hears [akouō] the words of God. The
reason why you do not hear [akouō] them is that you are not of God.”
o [See Part 3] “Listen” (Gk. akouō) – means to listen with attention so as to
understand and be guided by, i.e. to submit to the thing you have heard
o John Stott “[John] is carrying a stage further the argument of the first three
verses. There the test of doctrine was whether it acknowledged the divine-
human Person of Jesus Christ; here the test is whether it is accepted by
Christians and rejected by non-Christians. There is a certain affinity
between God’s Word and God’s people. Jesus had taught that His sheep
hear His voice (Jn. 10:4, 5, 8, 16, 26, 27+), that everyone who is of the
truth listens to His witness to the truth (Jn. 18:37+), and that ‘he who is of
God hears the words of God’ (Jn. 8:47RSV+). In the same way John
asserts that since we are of God (1Jn 4:6) and ye are of God (1Jn 4:4+),
you listen to us. There is a correspondence between message and hearers.
The Spirit who is in you (1Jn 4:4) enables you to discern His own voice
speaking through us (1Jn 4:2+). So you can recognize God’s Word
because God’s people listen to it, just as you can recognize God’s people
because they listen to God’s Word. Those who do not listen to apostolic
teaching, but prefer to absorb the teaching of the world, not only pass
judgment on themselves but thereby also on the message to which they do
give attention.”
o The people of God, who know the voice of their Good Shepherd, will also
repeat His truth so that other sheep may respond submissively to Christ.
And if someone doesn’t respond to the word of God, that is evidence that
there is something off inwardly within them.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped
for every good work.”
This is why someone’s response to their sin is such a critical
indication of whether they are part of the kingdom of light or the
kingdom of darkness.
Recall 1 John 1:8-10 Recognition of sin…our need for
cleansing by Christ through repentance and faith-filled
submission to Him
Often the means that the Lord calls His people to repentance is
through the family of faith as we lovingly come around one another
for biblical accountability.
Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any
transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a
spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be
tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of
Christ.”
Willingness to listen to and receive accountability from brothers and
sisters, then, is a critical tool for discerning the inward reality of a
person.
Obviously, must be done gently and in love – something that I
have sadly failed to do at times in my life. Because if it is not
done with a spirit of gentleness, then we put that person at risk
of rejecting truth because it was not presented in a God-
honoring way. They reject accountability not because of what is
said but because of how it is said. That is a tragedy and needs
to itself be repented of.
But if a loving gentle spirit it brought to bear, how someone responds
to biblical accountability to the truth of God is a major indicator of their
heart before the Lord.
o John Piper “Not just any listening proves the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But the humble listening that accepts the truth of Christ and submits gladly
to it—that listening is a sign of the Spirit of truth at work in the heart. So the
testimony of the Spirit that assures us that we are the children of God is the
work of the Spirit to make us listen to the gospel submissively and confess
the Christ of the gospel heartily.”
Conclusion
Brings us back to the dangers of the ocean. Now let’s flip the metaphor around:
in a lot of ways, the kingdom of God is like the ocean. In our own strength,
seeking to swim into its depths will only result in your death.
o But that doesn’t stop people from trying to dive in and infiltrate. The lies of
the world can be masked and people operating within the church can
present a false front. Human explorers can dive to great depths with their
man-made submersibles – continuing to breath in the oxygen of the surface
and remaining comfortable in the environment they are used to. But they
really aren’t safe from the depths and are in danger of death at any
moment. This is exactly what can happen with people in the church when
people dive into the depths of theology and “cultural Christianity” but still
want to bring with them parts of the world – parts of their old way of life.
Like deep sea submersibles, they put man-made protections in place and
they think they’re safe as they continue to live in the ways of the world. And
if the fish around them aren’t careful, they might start to think that this
submersible in their midst is a safe way to live in the presence of the
depths of God. But the explorers aren’t safe, and they are a danger to
anyone who starts to think they can have their own submersible to bring
their favorite part of the world with them.
o The only safe way to enter into the depths of the ocean is to have your
internal pressure equalized with the pressure of the water surrounding you.
This is why fish can survive at such depths, they have been internally
conformed to the ways of the ocean…they bring nothing from the surface
with them.
o In the same way, the Lord changes us from the inside out. He gives us Holy
Spirit and makes us new creations who can be in the otherwise crushing
presence of His holiness.
God knows our hearts, knows what we really look like on the inside,
and He will help us to discern and recognize the inward parts of
ourselves and others – perhaps imposters, perhaps those who are
self-deceived – that are still trying to breath in the ways of the world
rather than relying on the true spiritual life empowered by the Holy
Spirit.
The Lord looks at the heart and as we grow in our ability to test, discern, and
draw out the inner parts of a person, we can begin to see the truth of what is
really within someone (and ourselves) as the Lord shows us what He already
sees.
In what is the identity of someone really placed? Are they willing to be held
accountable by God and the family of God who lovingly seeks to see them grow
in humble, faithful, obedience to our King?
o These two questions – these two confessions – are key points of
discernment of the inner workings of someone and are telltale signs of
whether they are a fish fearlessly swimming in the cleansing waters of God
or a man seeking to live by his own strength who will ultimately be crushed
by the depths of God’s righteous judgment.
Aks the Lord to help you see your heart and ask Him to help you discern the
evidences of the inner lives around us that we may lovingly encourage people to
true repentance or not be taken in by the lies of the pretenders around us.
Amen. Amen.