1 John 4:1
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.
These days it seems Christians cannot agree on anything. Professing believers disagree with each other a lot. A few examples include this, that and this. All of this apparent "in fighting" has caused some people to think, "Why do we even have to disagree?" Some Christians have taken the stance that being critical of anything or anyone faith-based is unnecessary or even useless. Is this a mindset all believers should adopt? Should believers be critical of other Christians?
To be critical of someone can seem rather unloving, and believers are to imitate the one who is love, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus taught that His followers should not be critical of others, unless they let their same critical standard be applied to themselves (Matthew 7:1). This does not mean believers should never be critical. In fact Jesus was critical of the religious leaders who denounced Him and His followers. He says to them, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to," (Matthew 23:13). In this way Jesus was verbally critical of those who did not believe in Him, but His harsh critique cannot be considered unloving. It is certain Jesus loved the whole world (John 3:16), so it is possible that being critical of even professing believers can be something loving.
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| Shane Idelman, founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship, suggests people who are critical cannot also be Godly. In Psalms, though, where it is written, "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" (Psalm 85:6), it is also written, "Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me," (Psalm 139:23-24). |
The apostle John wrote to the Church, "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," (1 John 4:1). John is not writing about believing the spirits of demons or angels, but the spirits in people. In other words he is saying believers should be willing to be critical and test a person's heart. Any heart that loves God "acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh," but every heart "that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God," (1 John 4:2-3). The Greek word for "acknowledge" in this text is ὁμολογέω (homologeó). It is most often translated to "confess," such as when John writes, "If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins," (1 John 1:9). So, the test John writes believers should use to determine if someone or something is from God and should be believed is to see if its heart confesses Jesus Christ. That does not mean it simply gives "lip service" to Jesus by just saying His name. A heart from God daily and passionately confesses Jesus' name in the same way believers confess their sins.
The reason believers should "test the spirits" is to see if someone or something claiming to be from God will fail the "test." When something fails to pass a test, it has fallen short of its mark. The phrase "to fall short of the mark" in the Bible is often translated as one common word, sin.
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| The mark people fall short of when they sin is God's perfection, for it is written, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23). |
If someone claims to be from God and is not, they're not just making a simple mistake. They're sinning. The same goes for when someone says something is from God, when it truly is not. God punishes sin, even when it is done by the most apparently holy of people. When the high priest Aaron's sons offered "unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to His command," God was more than critical of their sin (Leviticus 10:1). He struck them dead, even though they were both anointed priests (Leviticus 10:2). Later on in history, the apostle Peter, with God's authority and power, struck down two professing believers who lied about whether what they did was truly from God (Acts 5:1-11). Now, God does not always strike people dead for sin, but the reality is everyone will one day die and then be judged by God (Hebrews 9:27). Anyone who fails God's test will be sent to hell (Revelation 21:8). Because believers love the world like Jesus does and do not want anyone to perish in hell (2 Peter 3:9), Christ's followers must be diligent to test themselves and others.
God's people are not to share in any sin. It is written, "Bad company corrupts good character," (1 Corinthians 15:33) and "have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them," (Ephesians 5:11). These deeds of darkness do not happen only outside of the church, but also inside of it. The apostle paul warns all believers that "some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons," (1 Timothy 4:1). The apostle Peter further writes, "there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves," (2 Peter 2:1). The people who say they are from God but are not will bring destruction on themselves. We, as believers, should make sure their destruction doesn't take any of our brothers and sisters in Christ with them (Matthew 24:24). This is why believers should "save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh," (Jude 1:23).
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| Most people naturally do not like rejecting others, but Scripture says that when it comes to people who are unloving, treacherous, or even appear Godly but do not acknowledge Christ, believers are to "have nothing to do with such people," (2 Timothy 3:1-5). |
God's children need to keep from believing false spirits, by being devoutly critical of others. This, though, does not mean they should not go around trying to "pick fights." Jesus says whoever lives to fight with others will ultimately die that way (Matthew 26:52). Instead of fighting people, believers test and critique teachings. The apostle Paul writes, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," (Ephesians 6:12). A believer does not oppose someone in charge, as much as they oppose what someone in charge is doing. A brother in Christ battles with the teachings of demons, but not necessarily demons themselves (Jude 1:9-10). Furthermore, the Scriptures teach believers should "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ," (2 Corinthians 10:5). The word for demolish in this text is καθαιρέω (kathaireó). It also appears in Mary's song when she sings, "[God] has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble," (Luke 1:52). In the same way God takes down prideful kings and rulers, His followers are to destroy foolish ideas and wicked creations.
I'm the destroyer! Destroyer!
I will not be your slave
It's over, it's over!
I will not walk away
This is no time for the faint at heart
It's time for war, war!
I'm the destroyer
- Skillet
To be a critical person who destroys false teachings does not seem like something loving. Believers, though, must remember, "People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart," (1 Samuel 16:7). For someone to be a believer after God's own heart, they have to judge righteously (John 7:24), and be willing to renounce sin. Don't believe me? Then test my heart, and see if the teachings here are from God.
Sources
- The Bible (New International Version)
- Strong's Greek: Confess
- Wwutt: Miss the Mark
- Strong's Greek: Sin
- Open Bible Info: Avoid Evil
- Strong's Greek: Take Down
- Skillet: Destroyer
