THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2007
1 JOHN 4:1-6

IT IS WORTH SAYING AGAIN

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because 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 of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6 (NKJV)

The majority of Biblical Scholars agree that the John who writes this Epistle is the same St. John who wrote the fourth Gospel. This is the thirteenth of a series of Devotions on the First Epistle of John. Previous devotions can be found in the Archives. It is my hope that as we meditate on St. John’s Epistle, where the keynote is Love, that together we can grow in our Love of God.

St. John felt that the subject of the antichrist was important enough to return to it for a second time in his letter. Just as a reminder, the antichrist was a person who taught concepts that were against those that God had revealed and taught to His people. In this case, the teaching was that Jesus did not come to earth as a true man. This controversy continued until the Council of Nicea and the formation of the Nicene Creed.

St. John was not hesitant to speak out against the antichrist, as he writes that we should put the teachings we hear to the God test. The test is to compare the words that you hear or read to the Word of God as found in Scripture. In this case, if Jesus did not humble Himself and become true man, could He have wept at the grave of Lazarus? Could He really have been hungry at the Temptation in the Wilderness? Could He really have been in such agony in the Garden of Gethsemane? Could He have really died on the Cross for our sins? I am sure that to each of these questions your answer would be No. Therefore, you would accept as true the words of the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus is true God and true Man.

We can only understand this because we Love God and we have accepted the Holy Spirit into our lives. It is because of this that the teachings of God become so important to us, even though they are rejected by those who do not love God and follow the sinful ways of the world.

There are many issues today that are debated among nations, in the courts, in the church, in your home, and in your mind. Don’t just ignore them. Put them to the test. Search the Scriptures, spend time in prayer, put aside for a moment your own convictions that you may hear God let you know if you are right or wrong. What happens if you are wrong? It may be the greatest blessing that you can receive as you find joy in living God’s way.

IT IS WORTH SAYING AGAIN. Test what you think God says. Test what you hear others say the Bible says. You say you do not have time to do all that praying and Bible Reading? Think again. If you love God and your desire is to spend Eternity with Him, you had better be as sure as you can that Satan is not luring you away from God through words from the antichrist.

WE PRAY: LORD, send your Holy Spirit upon me that I might be gently pulled back to you whenever I start to follow false teachings. Help me to remember that false teaching comes not only from others, but they can come from within me as well. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Many Christian Denominations are debating if gay persons should be allowed to be Pastors. Respected Church Leaders are found on both sides of the issue. Take some statements from both sides of the discussion and see how they fit with God’s Word. Just remember that there is no statement in the Bible that says a gay person should or should not be the Pastor of your Church. This is where a Concordance, a Commentary and a Cross Reference Bible come in very handy.