Protecting Your Faith from Falsehoods

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not confess Jesus[a] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world. Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

1 John 4:1-6

Introduction

Well, as Tumi figures out how to get the earpiece set on and make sure that he has some sound, I’d like to take an opportunity to introduce our preacher to you this morning. Tumi is a friend of mine; we’ve been friends for a number of years. He is a husband of one wife, Mato, and the father of soon‑to‑be one child—so just a few months left. We are celebrating together with the two of you.

Tumi serves at Central Baptist Church in Pretoria and is involved in music and in kids’ ministry and in a number of things. Tumi, even as you come and bring God’s Word from 1 John chapter 4, from verse 1 to 11, I’m going to just commit our time to the Lord—to settle your nerves and to focus our hearts.

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray before God.

*Father, I’m reminded that men and their glories are like the grass of the field and the flowers which wither and which die, but the word of our Lord stands forever. It’s on that word this morning, Lord God, that I pray Tumi stands and we all stand, as we seek and gaze for Jesus Christ in its pages. Might You be glorified in this place this morning as we, Your people, give careful attention to the reading and to the proclamation of Your Word. I ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. Amen.*

Amen. Thanks, Mark.

Good morning, Benoni Baptist Church. This is the day that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

I just want to say thank you to all of you. My wife and I have really felt welcome; we have felt your warm hospitality, and we’re really pleased to be with you all this morning. I am thrilled to be with you this morning to bring God’s Word. Even leading up to this day, I’ve been praying for you. My prayer has been that God would use His Word to inform your minds, that He would stir your hearts’ affections, and that your lives would be transformed to His praise and to His glory.

This morning we will seek to accomplish that by the power of God, really, and looking at 1 John chapter 4 from verse 1 to verse 6. Andre last week preached on Zechariah and he preached on the Shepherd King, Jesus Christ, and he made mention of false shepherds or false teachers. Well, this morning, friends, we will also look at false teachers in greater detail and see what John has to say for us.

I’m going to pray one more time, though Mark has prayed, and then we will begin with our sermon. Let’s bow one more time.

*Our Father in Heaven, Your law is perfect, reviving the soul; Your testimony is sure, making wise the simple; Your precepts are right, rejoicing the heart; and Your commandments are pure, lighting the eyes. God, we ask this morning that as we come to Your Word, You would be glorified. I pray for myself, God, that You would keep me away from error, that You would help us as a people, as Your people, to behold Jesus Christ. We ask that You would build us up in our faith, that You would help us to live a life that is pleasing to You. And God, I also pray for the unbelievers in our midst this morning, asking that by the power of Your Spirit You would show them Jesus Christ and that they would come to repentance and faith in the Lord. And these things we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.*

A Personal Story

It is my first year of university and my first time living in a different city all by myself. I’m excited for what lies ahead as I’m about to embark on my studies and make new friends and explore new things. And in my excitement, my dad—before leaving me—looks at me, like most dads would here this morning, and he says to me, “Tumi, make sure that you find yourself a good Bible‑believing church to get connected to.”

I say yes, but I didn’t obey. A few weeks go by, and weeks turn into months, and I begin to feel a sort of spiritual drought and a longing to be together with God’s people and worship Him. So in my desperation, one Sunday morning I decide to go to a service that was held on my campus. The service began well; we sang God’s praises together. It was good to be with God’s people once again. And then the preacher went up for the preaching of God’s Word. He opened his Bible and he began preaching. Something didn’t seem right. Something didn’t sound right. And I was struggling to put my finger on it. Moments passed and it dawned on me that the man I was standing before was a false teacher, and he was preaching a gospel that is contrary to the Bible. I recognized at that moment that I was in a service where a false teacher was spreading false teaching.

You might be sitting here this morning and thinking your experience is not different from mine. I’ve also gone through something similar.

Well, friends, John in 1 John is going to show us that this is not unique. He warned his readers back then about the reality of false teachers, and even today he warns us about the reality of false teachers.

Main Idea

What we’re going to see in the Bible this morning is that **God’s children—you and I—must test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching.**

1 John 4:1 to verse 6. We’re going to read it together, and I’m going to ask as many as are able to please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

The Reading of God’s Word

1 John 4, reading from the first verse. Hear the Word of the Lord:

*Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.*

Just so far in God’s Word. You may take your seats.

God’s children must test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching. This morning we will consider two points:

1. The prescription to test
2. The procedure to test

The Prescription to Test

Let’s begin with our first point: **the prescription to test.** 1 John 4:1 is where we will see it, and I’ll read it once more so it’s close to your mind.

John says: *“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”*

The Garden of Eden to the Present

In the Garden of Eden, God gives a commandment to Adam, and it isn’t long until the truth is challenged by a lie from Satan. Moses continually warned God’s people about falsehood and idolatry. John the Baptist calls out false religion and points to the truth, Jesus Christ. He Himself warned about the reality of false prophets and false teachings. Jude charged believers to contend for the faith, for there are false teachers who have risen up. The Bible is filled with warnings about false teaching and false teachers. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the Apostle John prescribes orders and commands that believers should test the spirits.

In the preceding verses—1 John 3:24—John explained the work of the Holy Spirit in the children of God. In chapter 4, the chapter we are considering, he transitions to the opposite reality: he transitions to the work of unholy spirits in false teachers and their false teaching. In light of this, John opens this portion of Scripture with the phrase “dear friends.”

Dear Friends

Maybe just to note: the opening phrase “dear friends” is written as *beloved* in other translations. It is a term of endearment because John wants his readers to know that he loves them and that he cares for them. It is similar to a husband calling his wife “honey” or “sweetheart” to try to communicate the reality of love and affection to his beloved, to his dear friends.

Do Not Believe Every Spirit

John says, *“Do not believe every spirit.”* This can be understood as “stop believing,” which assumes that John’s readers were currently absorbing and believing false teaching, and so he jumps in and firmly charges them to exercise biblical discernment. This shows that this group of believers were unlike the group that we read about in Acts 17. Luke writes that in Acts 17 the Bereans were noble‑minded and they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if the teaching they received was true.

Test the Spirits

Well, to combat the absorption of false teaching, John writes: *“Test the spirits.”* The word *test* in our Bibles is an imperative in the present tense. It is a command. It is an order. In fact, in the original language the word has the idea of a metallurgist testing metals to examine their purity and value. It’s like a metal worker who is working with metals to see the quality and the content of that metal. Essentially, John is saying that his readers must continually test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

Spirits and False Prophets

*Spirits* in our text refers to persons. This could have been understood to mean a prophet—someone standing on behalf of God to declare His message. This could have also meant someone who bore the title *apostle*, someone claiming to have revelation from God. In our present context, this refers to pastors or preachers—someone declaring God’s written revelation. And the commandment is simple: test people who claim to have revelation from God.

Friends, this was urgent. This needed to be heard and understood and applied immediately, because false prophets had gone out into the world. We can understand that false teaching was rampant as false teachers cropped up everywhere—people who claimed to speak on behalf of God were going around spreading lies and distorting the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Application for Today

Well, how does this portion of Scripture apply to us today at Benoni Baptist Church in 2025? The commandment is simple: the commandment is to stop believing and to start testing the spirits to see if they are true. We read in the Bible that Satan not only opposes the church but he deceives the church as well. He attacks the church both outwardly and inwardly. So take heed, Benoni Baptist Church, and stop believing every spirit, but test the spirits.

How can you achieve that? If you are a new believer, hold fast to the Word of God. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness. Therefore, make sure to always have your copy of God’s Word open whenever you hear God’s Word taught. Study the Bible and keep it hidden in your heart. Keep your Bibles open throughout the duration of any sermon preached from this pulpit, and I hope your Bibles stay open for the rest of this sermon.

What about the immature believer? Well, the testing never stops. In addition to verifying the Word of God for yourself, look out for younger believers. Teach them and warn them about the constant threat of false teachers. They come to your pulpit, they sit in your pews, and they even come to your homes in the form of books and media.

God’s children—you and I—must test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching.

We have considered our first point: the prescription to test.

The Procedure to Test

We’ll now consider the second point, which is **the procedure to test**, and this is from verse 2 to verse 6. I’m going to read it once more so that we can unpack it together.

John says in verse 2: *“This is how you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.”*

It’s easy to say that you must test the spirits, that you must warn others to do the same, but how do you practically achieve that? Well, John is going to give his readers three ways to test a teacher and their teaching. And if you’re a note‑taker, you can jot these down:

1. The christological test (verse 2–3)
2. The conduct test (verse 4–5)
3. The commitment test (verse 6)

The Christological Test

Let’s begin with the first test: **the christological test.** You find this in verse 2 and 3, where John says: *“This is how you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now it is already in the world.”*

All of Scripture is about Jesus Christ. Therefore, all biblical teachings must be about Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said this in Luke 24:27: *“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”*

Well, here John is writing to a specific context. In this particular context there was lots of false teaching going around, like we have already established. One such teaching was the teaching that denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh—basically denying the incarnation of Jesus that we celebrated about two weeks ago. It was a variety of Gnosticism, a teaching that denied the real incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, also denying the reality that the Savior was able to die as an atonement for sinners. This widespread fallacy stated that Jesus Christ only seemed to die. This was a huge doctrinal error—utter heresy.

John says: *“This is how you know the Spirit of God: by this you know true teachers. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”* The verb supplied for the word *confesses* is a present‑tense verb of a Greek word that connotes the idea of “to say the same thing.” Essentially, John is saying that whoever says the same thing as Jesus concerning the humanity of Jesus Christ is a true teacher, and whoever alters or distorts what Jesus said about His humanity is a false teacher.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is the second person of the Trinity. He proceeds from the Father and He became flesh. Jesus lived a perfect life, obeying every commandment and not sinning once. Jesus died a real death for real sinners at the hands of real men. He was buried, but praise be to God, for death could not hold Him; the grave could not keep Him, because on the third day He arose and He conquered sin and death.

Any teaching that denies the person and the work of Jesus is erroneous and heretical. John calls it the spirit of the antichrist. The spirit of the antichrist is evidenced by its false religion and doctrine, and it is already in the world.

Friends, getting the right information about Jesus Christ is of utmost importance. If we miss the right knowledge of Jesus Christ, we miss the gospel that saves us. We cannot make a Jesus of our own. The one and only true Jesus is revealed in the Bible.

This is applicable for us today in a world that is continually becoming antichrist.

Application

Believers, how can you apply this to your lives? You can grow in your theology. Grow in your Christology. Grow in your patrology. You can do this by attending the Wednesday weekly Bible study that is held in the fellowship hall, or you can do this by joining the Bible reading program that began on the 1st of January. Pick up a Bible and join your church as you read through the Bible. You can pick up a book on the trinitarian nature of God from the library. Getting the right information about Jesus Christ is of utmost importance, and you must grow in your knowledge of God so that you can worship Him and protect yourself.

God’s children must test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching.

The Conduct Test

In the procedure to test, we have looked at the christological test, which is our first test. We will now consider **the conduct test**, which is the second test that John gives. You see that in verse 4 and 5, where he says: *“You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.”*

Where there is smoke, there certainly is fire. A false teacher’s teaching can be likened to smoke, and their life conduct can be likened to fire. The one often leads to the other. And John is saying that those who practice false teaching will have wretched behavior.

Well, firstly, he addresses his beloved—his dear friends—by stating that they are from God and have overcome the false teachers, for He who is in them is greater than he who is in the world. I want to begin by saying that there is nothing mystical about this statement. John is simply saying that through belief in Jesus Christ, humans become partakers of the divine nature. He is also saying that the believer is safe against false teachers. He is victorious over them, and the reason is because all believers possess an incorruptible seed of eternal life. No one can snatch God’s children from His saving hand, and you will remember that truth from John chapter 10, verses 28–29. God’s children have been given new life and new light and understanding that protects them from falsehood. So don’t be fearful.

However, false teachers are from the world—the satanic system of this world. This means that false teachers are ungodly in their conduct. They follow the passions of this world: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. They are ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God and turn it into sensuality, denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. They are dangerous reefs at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds, trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead, and uprooted. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds, wandering stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.

They live and teach shameful things and can be seen by their conduct. No wonder the world listens to them. They teach what accords with worldly standards. They promote sensuality and sin, and the world relishes their teachings. They are the teachers that those with itching ears desire. They are ungodly men—and sometimes even women—leading ungodly people to destruction.

Friends, the warning is to test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching.

Application

Here’s another application for you. Watch the lives of those who teach you. Watch their conduct, their manner of life. Are they men who are above reproach, self‑controlled, and sober‑minded? Do they qualify to be elders and leaders according to biblical qualifications? Read and know the qualifications of leaders, and hold the teachers of God’s Word to God’s Word. May the men who preach and teach at Benoni first be tested before they can do so.

The Commitment Test

In the procedure to testing, we’ve looked at two tests: the christological test and the conduct test. The third and final test is **the commitment test**, and that’s the final verse that we’re looking at this morning. Verse 6: John says, *“We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.”*

False teachers are not committed to the Scriptures. They deny and pervert the Word of God. John makes a clear distinction between false teachers and the *we* in our Bibles. The *we* in quotation marks refers to John and the other writers of Scripture—you’ll think of Matthew, Luke, Jude, Paul, etc. The apostles and the other writers of Scripture were used by God in His providence to pen the revelation of God Almighty. God in the richness of His wisdom and out of His grace saved the apostles and used them for His glory and His purposes.

John informs his readers that the apostles are from God. They are repentant sinners. They are partakers of the divine life that Jesus offers because they have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, because they are from God and they are God’s disciples, apostles and writers of Scripture have fellowship with other believers because of Jesus Christ. This fellowship is evidenced by the apostles’ transferring of the Word to the believers who receive the Word.

You’ll remember this from Paul’s commendation in Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 2:13—he commends the Thessalonians and he says of them: *“We also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”*

In the midst of rising false teachers, John points his readers to the true apostles. He points them to Jesus’s legitimate disciples and those who hold the word of truth. He says that by observing the teacher’s commitment to the truth, it will show if they are true or false.

Application

For us, you and I must be resolved to listen to the *we* in the Bible. The *we* is the apostles’ teachings—the writings of Scripture. Be resolved to have the Word of God as your sole authority. Meditate on it day and night so that you are careful to do all that is written in it. Listen intently to the preaching and the teaching of God’s Word. Faithful Bible teachers must be faithful heralds. They must proclaim the truth of God’s Word as it is. Faithful teachers must teach the whole counsel of God’s Word, going systematically through the Bible and teaching the intention of each book, each passage, and each verse. Listen to preachers and discern by testing what is good and true. Once you have tested and seen that the message is true, listen to the preachers and the shepherds that God has placed in your midst.

Application for believers

We have now looked at all three of those tests: the christological test, the conduct test, and the commitment test. I’m going to give a final application of this passage.

From what you’ve heard and what you’ve taken already from this passage, I want to emphasize that testing the spirits never stops. Get yourself a copy of the Bible. Learn to read it and study it. Study it daily. Meditate on it. Get a Bible commentary and read trusted books that will help you grow in your knowledge of God. Pray for your leaders. Talk to your leaders. Get counsel from your leaders. And keep your leaders accountable to God’s Word.

Application for unbelievers

What about unbelievers this morning? If you are an unbeliever, you have something in common with the false teachers. God in His Word has revealed that Jesus Christ is coming again, and when He comes again He is coming to judge the living and the dead. You have sinned against God. You have sinned against God with the things that you have said. You have sinned against God with the thoughts that you keep thinking. And even by your conduct you are rebelling against God. The judgment and the wrath of God is upon you. You will be judged for your sins and thrown into eternal punishment, the lake of fire, where you will eternally pay for your own sins.

But there is good news for you this morning. Jesus Christ, the one we read about in our Bible—He came. He lived a perfect life, and He died a real death, being nailed to the cross. And when He died, He took on Himself the sins of the whole world—your sins included. The call on your life is to believe in Jesus Christ. Put your faith and your trust in Him and repent from all your sins, and you will live.

Friends, that invitation is open to you this morning, but that invitation will not always be open because Jesus is coming again, and He is coming soon.

Conclusion

It is my first year of university and my first time living in a new city. I’m excited for all that I will get to do—I’ll embark on a new education and make new friends. My dad leaves me with the words: make sure you find yourself a good Bible‑believing church to get connected to. I didn’t obey. Weeks and months later, I found myself in a service, and I found myself in the midst of a false teacher who was spreading false teaching.

But from God’s Word this morning we read that **God’s children—you and I—must test every teaching, for there are false teachers spreading false teaching.**