Testing

Did you know that it is recommended that you test your batteries in your smoke alarms regularly? This is done so that in the event of a fire your smoke alarm actually goes off and alerts you to the danger. But how do you test the battery? There is no gauge on the side of the battery that tells you how much power is left in it, no visual notification that identifies whether the battery is good or not. Well, smoke alarms have a button on them that you can push and if the alarm starts to sound then you know it still works. To further test it, you could take the battery completely out and put it into a battery tester which will tell you exactly how much power is left inside. 

You can test batteries, but were you aware that you can test people as well? It’s true! In fact, this is the subject of this study today: testing the spirit.

1 John 4:1-8  “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

John wrote that we need to try the spirits, whether they are of God, or not. To try something means “to prove by experiment; to apply a test to, for the purpose of determining the quality; to examine; to prove; to test.”

Each of us on the Earth looks the same, relatively speaking. Certainly we may have different colored skin, we may be taller or shorter, man or woman, but we are all humans. We might look similar on the outside, like those batteries, but it is what is inside that we are measured by. It is the spirit in a person that determines who we really are.

Is it the spirit of God? or the spirit of the devil? The spirit of good, or evil? You cannot judge a book by its cover, and you cannot judge a person based on their appearance. You need to have a look inside.

What is the first way that John teaches us how to make this determination? “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” And likewise, “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.” 

A person must acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world, and the only begotten Son of God. They must admit that they are a sinner and that they need Christ for forgiveness, for it is only through Him that we are saved.

What is another way to test the spirit inside of a person, whether they are of God or not? As John wrote, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.” John was an apostle, picked by Jesus Christ Himself to go and preach. The same Spirit that was/is in Jesus is the same Spirit that John was filled with.. And Peter. And Paul. And James. Matthew, Mark, Luke, etc. The entire New Testament was written by holy men of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. If someone refuses to hear and obey the teachings found therein, then they are not of God, no matter how much they may claim that they are. 

The Pharisees claimed to be of God, but they sought to kill the Lord! Jesus, the King of kings! Jesus told them, in John 8:47, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”

These first two examples should be plenty to determine the spirit of a person, but we have one more. Back to the apostle John. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 

Love. Probably the strongest feeling that one can have. It has been said that love conquers all. A parent’s love for their child will cause them to work tirelessly as they try to provide for their child’s every need. Love will get them up at night to give a baby their bottle. Love will cause someone to give up things, and give them to others. Love will forgive, and forget. If it is truly love, it will always do what is right. 

We have been commanded by Jesus that the first commandment is to love God, with your entire heart, soul, and mind. To place God first, over anything and above anyone else. He is our Creator, and it is He who we need to serve first, and then comes everyone else. We need to treat our neighbors, just as we would want to be treated. That is love.

But some people attempt to rewrite these two commands it seems, because instead of putting God first, they place themselves first by doing what they want. They may claim to love God, but through their works they show that they really don’t. Instead of forgiving others just as Christ forgave them, they refuse to obey this simple command. They say they love Jesus, but they will not do to others what Christ did for them. 

Test the spirits. Are they filled with the spirit of God, or the spirit of the devil?

In Christ,

Andrew