Bible Study: 1 John

Chapter 4, Part 2

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1 John was written in the latter part of the 1st century, around 60 or more years after Jesus began his ministry in 27 A.D. and the commencement of the New Covenant church, the year of 31 A.D. on the Holy Day of Pentecost. The Aged Apostle John, the last remaining original Apostle, was in his late 80s or 90s when he wrote 1 John. He is probably one of the few people still alive who heard directly from Jesus the teachings that Jesus brought from the Father. He saw Jesus suffer and die, witnessed the resurrected Jesus in person, shared meals with him, and, after 40 days, saw Jesus ascend into the clouds.” "Before Jesus ascended into the clouds, Christ told John and the other Apostles that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. They would be witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” John was there when he heard the two angels tell them, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” As time went on John, like the other Apostles, understood that Jesus would return, but not in His lifetime. Some 60, maybe closer to 70 years have passed, and John has seen many things in the Church. John has witnessed much and remains devoted to spreading the gospel of the Kingdom of God, serving as a true eyewitness and loyal disciple of Jesus Christ. In writing 1 John contrasts: Those who practice the Truth and those who do not. Those who walk in the Light and those who do not Those are righteous, and those who sin. Those who love their fellow brothers and sisters and those who do not. Those who Love God and those who do not. Those who have God’s Spirit in them and those who do not. Those who are the children of God and those who love the world.

1 John 4:1 – 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

He doesn’t want his readers, those in the body of Christ to be naïve. “Test the spirits and have spiritual discernment to know whether what they are saying is from God.

John said do not believe every spirit. 

In Greek, do not believe literally is stop believing.

This indicates that John realized that some people were not discerning of specific individuals, whom John refers to as false teachers.

False teachers are not always obvious. John says to test the spirits behind the words or ideas being presented.

Sometimes, the differences are apparent and sometimes more challenging to discern based on the argument and situation.  

2By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.

There is more here than we might initially see. Is it simply anyone who says Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and those who deny this is not of God

The Church of God understands that Jesus continues to come in the flesh!

REFERENCE SCRIPTURES

John 14:19-23, We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Romans 8:9-10, And if Christ is in you

Colossians 1:26-29, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

How does Christ live in us?

If Christ is living in us, we will live the same life Christ lived. Christ will not live his life in us contrary to the way He lived in the flesh.

We already saw that Christ kept His Father's commandments. If Christ is living in us, we will be living that way, too! When we fail to live up to that standard perfectly because of a sin, we will repent and quit living in that sin. Our overall way of life will be that of commandment-keeping, not commandment-breaking.

3bAnd this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Those who claim that Jesus did not come in the flesh are not of God.

And those who don’t understand that Jesus Christ continues to come in the flesh of His servants are not of God! 

Article excerpt from PT Magazine.

"The doctrine of antichrists, then, is that Christ does not literally dwell with in and live His life within His people today. It is the teaching and the false idea that “Christians” today can live a different kind of life from what Jesus lived and still be His true followers. It often includes the idea that Christ was righteous in our stead, therefore we don’t have to be. We just accept Him and His righteousness is imputed to us…thus God “kids Himself” and pretends that we are really righteous when we actually are NOT!"

Col 1;:27-  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

William Bradford

William Bradford serves as Pastor of the United Church of God congregations in Chicago (Illinois), Northwest Indiana and Beloit (Wisconsin).