Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 John 4:1-6. 

 

“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.  ² By this you know the Spirit of God:  every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;  ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God;  this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  ⁴ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;  because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  ⁵ They are from the world;  therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.  ⁶ We are from God;  he who knows God listens to us;  he who is not from God does not listen to us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”  1 John 4:1-6. 

 

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We remember the immediately preceding sentence to today’s Scripture:  “… We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”  1 John 3:24.  There will be those who claim that they do have the Spirit, and they will claim that they are spiritual.  They will appear religious.  

 

But today’s Scripture warns us:  “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.”  Verse 1.

 

In yesterday’s devotion, we read:  “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;  for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24.  It may seem as if there are two separate components of worship:  spirit and truth.   But, this is a false dichotomy.

 

Today’s Scripture refers to one “spirit of truth”.  Every spirit that does not confess the Truth, Who is Jesus, is not from God.  Verses 2 and 3. 

 

There is a danger of viewing spiritual as only deeper expressions of feelings.  It can lead to worship which is valued based on feelings.  Accordingly, worship will be judged on how many expressions of feelings were allowed and how loud and how visual those expressions of feelings were.  “Anything goes”. 

 

The Holy Spirit will always lead us to the truth.  “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;  for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;  and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”  John 16:13-14. 

 

Likewise, true prophets a/k/a “true preachers and teachers” will lead us to the truth.  They will emphasize the truth of Scripture above feelings.    

  

In conclusion, it still can be frustrating for true preachers and teachers.  They may wonder why, despite the clarity of Scripture and their teaching, people do not listen to them and follow them.  But, today’s Scripture explains:  “They are from the world;  therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God;  he who knows God listens to us;  he who is not from God does not listen to us. …”  Verses 5 and 6.  Likewise, John 15:18-20 states:  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own;  but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”