The reality of the spiritual world is something that is easily missed in our day, but something that is true. In fact, Ephesians 2 tells us that those who do not know Christ are being led by a spirit of that is working in them. And in the same way, those who are walking in the truth are being led by the Spirit of God. Therefore, John turns in this section to the need for individuals to be able to determine and distinguish between the work of the Spirit of God and the spirit of error.

This was crucial because there were many who had gone out of the church and were teaching something different, claiming to teach by the Spirit of God. Therefore, John’s readers needed serious and urgent help.

Now, I want to pause for a second and gain an appreciation for how this could be a problem in the early church, for I think by understanding it we can gain a greater appreciation for the Word of God that we hold in our hands and can read, study, meditate on, and memorize. Often it is only by gaining an understanding of the past and the lacking of others that we can appreciate what we presently have, and only then are we moved to treasure it.

In this day in which John was writing, there were few formal creeds. There were not documents that the Church had formed that you could say, “This is what we believe about Christ.” For example, there was no document based on Scripture that said that God is the creator of heaven and earth, that Jesus Christ is His only Son who was completely divine and completely human, that He died and rose again on the third day, that He is one day returning, that the Spirit is God Himself, and that He dwells within those who repent and believe and brings to them forgiveness of sins. You did not have creeds like that floating around saying, “This is what the true Church of Christ believes."

No one owned a New Testament in that day. In fact, the greatest thing you could hope for along those lines was maybe one of the apostles’ letters. Yet, you could even then wonder if it was really from an apostle or someone simply claiming to be Paul, or Peter, or John.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come” (2 Thess. 2:1-2). He did not want them to be troubled if someone sent them a message or a letter claiming to be from them and speaking falsehood. He wanted them to hold on to the truth.

So, people were even sending letters to believers claiming to be Paul and were not. Paul, understanding this to be the case, wrote to these same Thessalonians, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write” (2 Thess. 3:17). Paul was trying to give them a distinguishing mark by which they could tell the letter was from him.

Also, much of their teaching was done orally. Therefore, since they could not be everywhere, the apostles would send others to speak for them. Paul does this with Timothy and Silas. And John does this as well, according to 3 John 3-5, as he writes, “For I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers.” John sent men to find out about his people and the men he sent were strangers to the people, saying they were from John.

This was a difficult time when men most definitely needed to test those teaching, to see if they were speaking truth. And I say those teaching because I think we often read “spirits” incorrectly. I think John is referring to the spirit as the one bringing teaching people who are teaching. Thus, John is helping his readers to recognize human beings who are being taught by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth versus the spirit of error.

Today we are in a different boat in that we have the word of God, whereas it was being formed in John’s day. But what isn’t different is that in our day as well there is much teaching and many false teachers in the world. The gospel is being denied and men claiming that it is a bigoted message left and right. So, what do we need to understand as Christians in order to deal with this? I think that which John lays out to his original readers aids us in answering this question for ourselves as well.

Christians cannot be gullible but must test all teaching and all claims against the Word of God (v. 1)

John writes in verse 1 that we must not believe every spirit but test them to see if they are from God. In short, John was telling his readers, “You cannot accept everything you hear, but must test what is taught.”

So it is with us today. I don’t think it is a newsflash to say that Christianity is unpopular. The teaching that men must believe in Jesus Christ alone or else they will die and know God’s wrath for all eternity is not popular. The teaching that sin cannot be tolerated and one claim to know Christ is not popular. The world hates this and comes against it at all cost.

And we’ve already seen the church beginning to bow to this teaching. There is acceptance of homosexuality, a denial of judgment, a revolt against the need for atonement, a refusal to speak of sin, and a denial that one must believe in Christ to be saved – in the church. These things are becoming widespread among those claiming to be God’s people. We live in a day (not unlike any other) where Christians cannot afford to be gullible but must weigh all teachings against the Word of God. We must test the Spirits.

The problem, however, is that many do not know God’s Word and do not read it so that this is compounded. And our hearts are not a reliable guide to what is right. Therefore, this call to test the Spirits is a call to duty. “But why,” one might say, “do you keep making reference to the Bible as that against which all must be tested. After all, I don’t see that in the text.”

My answer is that John’s entire text is driving in this reality because John tests error against the truth, and truth is found in the Word of God. Thus, John demands that …

Men must confess the truth of the gospel or they do not belong to Christ (v. 2-3)

John gives a test of truth here in order to discern who does and who does not belong to Christ. In the past weeks, we’ve read that one must pursue righteousness, fight sin, and love the brothers. This week we find that men must confess the truth of the gospel or they cannot be said to belong to Christ.

John writes in verses 2-3, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God 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 already in the world.”

For John’s particular time and situation it seemed that the main heresy being put forth was an earlier form of Gnosticism in which people denied that Jesus had come in the flesh and atoned for man’s sin. Therefore, John tells his readers that if men do not confess this basic tenet of the faith, he does not belong to God.

In our day, I don’t know that Gnosticism is a major heresy being put forth. But John’s teaching still applies in that if men deny the truth of the gospel they cannot be said to belong to Christ.

At the end of the day, Christianity is true. We claim truths. Yes, there is more than truth. There is experience in the Christian life as well, but it is not less than truths. And if these truths are denied then one does not belong to Christ.

Therefore, as in John’s day these individuals were denying the truths of the gospel and thus falsely claiming to belong to God so in our day there will be many who seem like great people and doing many right things, but if they deny the gospel they are not saved. Do not be deceived; men must believe the truth.

But next we might be thinking, “But how will we know that we will not succumb to these deceptive truths? How can we have assurance?”

I mean, if I look back even ten years ago and compare what I believe now to what I believe then, much has changed. So how can I have hope that I will continue to hold to these necessary truths in another ten or twenty or fifty years? John gives us an answer in verse 4.

Our hope for holding to truth and not being overtaken by them is that the Spirit of God in us is greater than the spirit in the world (v. 4)

John writes to his readers in verse 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.”

In short, we do not base our hope on ourselves but on God. Anyone who tries to build his assurance on himself and his own abilities will prove never to have any assurance. Thus, you could have listened these past few weeks and thought, “I want to pursue righteousness, fight sin, love the brothers, and hold to the truth.” But at the same time though this might give you temporary assurance, it is not the kind of assurance John aims for if you are looking to your own ability because tomorrow you will prove to yourself that you are untrustworthy. You will prove to yourself that your promises are short-lived and the best attempts of your flesh are quite weak. Therefore, John says, “Look at your present situation and then trust the Spirit who is in you.”

Therefore, we look at our faith today, our commitment to the truth today and find assurance. Then, we can say to ourselves, “My commitment to faith tomorrow will be upheld by the Spirit. Faith has brought me safe thus far and faith will lead me home.”

Therefore, John ends with another message of assurance.

Therefore, because those are born again have the Spirit within them, those who belong to Christ most definitely will accept and confess the truth of the gospel (v. 5-6)

John writes in verses 5-6, “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. But this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

God has given us his spirit to ensure that we will accept the truth. It is sure. And those who don’t accept the truth are of the world and do not have the Spirit. John Stott has put it nicely writing, “We can recognise God’s Word because God’s people listen to it, just as we can recognise God’s people because they listen to God’s Word. Those who do not listen to apostolic teaching (i.e. the Bible), 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.”

It is sure, if we are God’s people, our hearts will continue to respond to the truth in accepting it while those who are not God’s people will not hold to the truth. So, now we have another basis for assurance. It is our acceptance of the truth and desire to claim God’s Word. Those of the world do not love the truth, but believers (because God’s Spirit is within them and he is greater than he who is in the world) will.

Therefore, today let me encourage you to do three things:

Do not be led away by the lies of the world and follow the teaching of those who do not hold to the truths of the gospel.

1. Look to your own life.

Do you believe the truth? If so, find comfort in this message of assurance and go forward in a life of faith and obedience, trusting the power of God’s Spirit within you.

2. And second, commit yourself as one who will value the truth in a day that it is being challenged, and in doing so understand that only those who hold to the truths of the gospel know God.

In doing so, may we be those who know the truth and honor it in holding all who claim to know God to the standards of truth. May his grace be with us. Amen.

TESTING FOR TRUTH VERSUS ERROR