A Tour Through John, Lesson 42

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/tour-john-lesson-42-2/" target="_blank"><strong>website.</strong></a></p><p>4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for 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 Jesusis not from God. And 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 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for 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. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.</p><ul><li>The term “spirits” (v.1) is equivalent to “prophetic messages.”<ul><li>The same word “spirit” is rendered <i>prophecy</i> in 2 Thess 2:2.</li><li>The idea is similar to that in 1 Thess 5:20-21.</li></ul></li><li>The point: don’t be duped by false prophets. God’s true Spirit always works in harmony with God’s Word and will never teach, tolerate or lead us into error.</li><li>Are there prophets today? Click <a href="http://douglasjacoby.com/articles/2798">here</a>.</li><li>The world—and this includes pagans and the worldly religious—accepts worldly thinking and excuses, approving of the messages of the false prophets (vv.4-6).<ul><li>Anyone on the side of truth will eventually join us—or we will join him.</li><li>Our focus should not be “Who’s right?”, but “What’s right?” Begin with the truth in God’s word, then apply it relentlessly and accept the conclusions.</li><li>Can a Gnostic Christian be saved? Click <a href="http://douglasjacoby.com/articles/2997">here</a>.</li></ul></li></ul><p>7 Beloved,