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NASB | 1 John 4:1 Beloved, 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. |
Bible Question: how do you test the spirit |
Bible Answer: Hi, Paul... Welcome to the forum! John Piper, speaking on this topic a while back, said the following: "The point of [1 John] 4:1-6 is not merely to give us a doctrinal test for discerning false prophets. If it were, then verse 2 would not say, 'By this we know the Spirit of God.' Instead it would say, 'By this we know the spirit of antichrist.' The point of the verses is not merely to give a doctrinal test for recognizing false spirits. The point is to give a test also for recognizing the true Spirit. And therefore the test must be more than doctrinal, because true doctrine by itself is no sure sign of the work of the Spirit. Anybody can say true doctrines with his lips. But only the Spirit can make sinners really listen and really confess the truth of Jesus. "So the great lesson that lies just beneath the surface in this text is that none of us will listen to the message of Christ unless the mighty Holy Spirit overcomes our resistance and gives us ears to hear (Acts 16:14; Deuteronomy 29:4). And none of us will confess from the heart that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh unless the mighty Holy Spirit humbles us to accept the authority of Jesus implied in that confession (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3). John's great assumption lying just beneath verses 2 and 6 is that hearing the gospel with openness and confessing Christ with loyalty is the work and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If this listening and this confessing could be explained in any other way, they would not be a sure sign of the Spirit's presence and power. But they are a sign of His power. For John knows that no one hears and no one confesses apart from the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit." The sermon was "Test the Spirits to See Whether They Are of God" given at Piper's church in May of 1985. You can hear or read the whole sermon at www.desiringgod.org In Him, Doc |
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nae-nae 04 | ||
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Blazer | ||
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LoveUJesus | ||
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Grace7044 | ||
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liltezzy87@yahoo.com | ||
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paulr | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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paulr | ||
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ShelDee | ||
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ShelDee | ||
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bowler |