Tests to expose deceivers
Seeing Jesus ● Tests of fellowship: Obedience, Love, Faith ● *Tests for Deceivers ● Assurance of Eternal Life | Edition 2
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One Minute Summary
Previous passages: 1 John 1:1–2:2 (Seeing Jesus - Picture Frames); 1 John 2:3-27 (Tests of fellowship: obedience, love, faith - Is It a Duck?)
Aug. 21st Passage: 1 John 2:28–4:6 (Tests to expose deceivers - Purifying Gold)
3.0 Obedience, love, and faith — a deeper examination (symphony, second movement)
3.1 Practicing righteousness, 1 John 2:28–3:10
We may have confidence (Gk. parresia) at his coming (Gk. parousia)
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, but whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous
3.2 Loving in deed and truth, 1 John 3:11-18
We know we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers
Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and truth
3.3 Side bar — despite an accusing conscience, we may have confidence before God, 1 John 3:19-24
3.4 Test (carefully analyze, verify) the spirits by their lives and by truth, 1 John 4:1-6
Dual evidences of a spirit of truth:
Doctrinal - confessing Jesus Christ, the God-man
Spiritual - confessor has trusted in (confessed) Jesus Christ
The Christian life is not a retreat into a recluse. It is an advance against the power of evil in a lost world by proclaiming the message - Jesus Christ, the God-man, came to save the world from sin. Practice righteousness, love the brothers, test the spirits.
Quick review: A four part series in 1 John
Note: underlined Scripture passages are links to full text at bible.com (YouVersion, ESV). Underlined words are links to articles or other information.
This is a four part series in the First Epistle of John presented to encourage believers in assurance of their salvation (1 John 5:13) in Jesus Christ, the God-man. John’s First Epistle also clearly lays out the basics of Christian commitment - fellowship, 1 John 1:7, and love for one another, 1 John 2:10.
The broad outline of the four lessons:
Seeing Jesus the God-man, 1 John 1:1–2:2 ← August 7th [link to post]
Tests of fellowship: obedience, love and faith, 1 John 2:3-27 ← August 14th [link to post]
Tests to expose deceivers, 1 John 2:28—4:6 ← August 21st
Assurance of our eternal life with Jesus, 1 John 4:7—5:21
John’s aim in this letter is to encourage the churches of Asia Minor in and around Ephesus as they encounter opposition from false teachers and false prophets (1 John 4:1-2).
The ancient practice of gold by fire assay
Mining, recovering, and proving purity of the precious metal gold is a centuries old process and art form.
In ancient and modern cultures, gold is a standard of value because it can be used as a currency or medium of exchange. It is durable, chemically stable, visually attractive, and rare — but not so rare that it is out of reach [link to article].
Mined gold contains impurities and other lesser value alloys, and must be separated out by some process so it may be valued and assigned a purity [link to article]. The most ancient and accurate technique is called a fire assay.
The scriptures often reference this technique in context of testing the genuineness of one’s faith, teaching, or preaching.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 Peter 1:6–7). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Peter uses the phrase “tested by fire” in context of life’s trials testing the genuineness of our faith. John references this same test of genuineness in his epistle:
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 3:24). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
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.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 4:1). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
John introduces the indwelling Spirit of God as one evidence believers abide (lit., “to live; dwell; lodge”; metaphorically, “one who does not leave a certain realm or sphere”) in God and He in them (1 John 3:24).
But false teachers and false prophets are ever present, and today, as in John’s day, they teach a worldly, philosophical spiritualism directly contradicting the apostolic teaching concerning God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ — God come in flesh, and the divine person of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers.
In our everyday experience, false teachers and false prophets take on many forms. We live in an evil, anti-God world system and its actors continually preach false “doctrines” and philosophies — popular culture, world views, behaviors without boundaries, lifestyles devoid of godly, spiritual life — that pervade every aspect of our lives.
And so we must constantly apply tests to what we see, hear, and experience to assay the value of instruction and teaching constantly contesting to control our minds (1 John 4:1).
Modern day false teachers
In modern culture, myriad false teachers and destructive philosophies maneuver for our minds.
powerful media portraying immorality and sexual deviancy as “normal”
cultural acceptance of “casting off” all moral constraints and social traditions
widespread acceptance of deceitfulness and lying
endless attacks on family and marriage — breaking of sacred covenants and social contracts
direct attacks on our representative, Constitutional government and the rule of law — God ordained institutions preserving peace and social order (1 Peter 2:13-17)
These threats are not compartmentalized — religion, politics, human nature, social structure, law and justice — but comprehensive. The goal of false teachers and perverse philosophies is utter destruction of spiritual life in Jesus Christ, bringing down the whole person and all interpersonal relationships.
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (2 Peter 2:1–2). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Attacks in our daily walk
Worldly world views — rationalizations for sin, “license” to sin, pragmatism
Material and sexual temptations — love of the world
Separation of our marketplace persona from our Christian persona
Elevating ourselves above others — overweening pride, selfishness
We must learn how to stand against the anti-God teachings and self-centered philosophies at home, at work, at church, and in the marketplace.
Obedience, love, and faith — deeper examination
3.0 Obedience, love and faith — deeper examination
This section is the second movement of the great symphony of the epistle of 1 John. In this masterpiece, John plays a variation on the opening theme in 1 John 2:3-27, exploring the depths of abiding in Christ, loving others sacrificially, and standing against false spirituality.
So John deepens his study of the tripartite tests of genuine fellowship — obedience, love, and faith — in 1 John 2:28—4:6. John’s motivation is to further investigate and apply these tests for his flocks. The threats posed by false teachers and false prophets are ever present, and their deceitful tactics lead some in his flocks astray.
3.1 Practicing righteousness, 1 John 2:28—3:10
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 2:28–29). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
The theme of “confidence” (Gk. parresia) and assurance pervades this section, and in fact the entire epistle of 1 John (1 John 5:13).
John instructs his flocks (1 John 2:28) to “abide in him” — literally, to “live or dwell” or, metaphorically, to remain in the faith of Jesus Christ, the fellowship of believers, and the truth of apostolic teaching — so at Jesus’ “coming” (Gk. parousia) no one need to “shrink from him in shame”.
Why may believers have confidence — even at his appearing — and know they are born of him? The test: practicing (literally, “continually doing”) righteousness. In this context, as well as elsewhere in the epistle, “doing righteousness” is not a work that saves us, rather it is the empowered activity of a life changed by a transforming message — the gospel of Jesus Christ. “…Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6).
To be “righteous” (1 John 2:29) is to conform to a right standard, in this case, the holy and true word of God as it manifests His essential character.
False teachers of John’s day taught that “conversion” was an induction into a secret, esoteric knowledge that “saves the mind”, but did not follow a path of morality or righteous character in the whole, spiritually transformed person.
John counters this false teaching by declaring Christian conversion (“born of him”, v. 29b) is tested in Christians by whether they are “practicing righteousness” — the holy and right living embodied in Jesus’ words, and recorded in the apostolic teaching already received by John’s flocks.
This thought leads to the following deep dive on righteousness in 1 John 3:1-10:
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know (“intimate knowledge”, Gk. vb. ginosko, n. gnosis) him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know (“intellectual knowledge“, Gk. vb. oida) that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
John’s tone turns to amazement at the delivered love of the Father to Christians — “what kind of love” literally means “from what country”, as though the outpouring of God’s unconditional love in Jesus Christ is so foreign to everyday experience.
The false teachers of the world may offer a higher “knowledge”, but so devoid of genuine, spiritual life that it is clear they did not “know” God. And this is true of all false teaching — it detracts from genuine, intimate faith fellowship with God by his truly transformed children!
The expectation of a lifetime is to see God in all His glory, and this longing and hope purifies (moral transformation) us as He himself is pure.
The mention of purification — our sanctification — leads to John’s excursion on sin in light of the test of practicing righteousness.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 3:1–10). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
1 John 3:4-10 is a fascinating section of scripture. Sin is lawlessness — a deliberate rejection of the holy character of God and his “law” — and sin is not in God’s essence nor in his actions. In fact, Jesus Christ “appeared” (looks back to 1 John 1:1-4) to take away sins — in one, final act of atoning sacrifice and satisfaction of the righteous requirement of the law of God.
Simply put, the test of a genuine Christian abiding in Jesus Christ is a life practicing righteousness. Of course, this is not self righteousness. It is living according to the revealed righteousness of God both in the scriptures (apostolic teaching) and in the very person and words of his Son, Jesus Christ.
The opposite is a person that makes a practice of sinning. John’s language and context highlights this habit (or lifestyle) of ongoing hatred for the “law” of God and rejection of his holy character. Such a life is of the devil because the devil sins continually. Such a person cannot say, “The devil made me do it!”. It is a conscious, evil choice by such person to reject God in disobedience.
1 John 3:9 is not teaching a sinless perfection: “he cannot keep on sinning”. The language and context simply make one point — the regenerated (“born of God”) Christian may fall into sin — and the remedy is 1 John 1:9 — but he or she cannot make a practice of sinning “for God’s seed abides in him”. While the meaning of the phrase “God’s seed” is widely debated, the best explanation (Occam’s razor) is the transforming message of the gospel — the truth of God in the regenerated Christian, validated by the indwelling Spirit of God and presence of life in Christ — gives the power to overcome sin in life and continue to pursue the path of righteousness.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 1:8). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
And this concludes John’s closer look at obedience — practicing righteousness.
Note to reader: John’s teaching about the Christian life is fully compatible with Paul (Romans 6—8; Galatians 5), James, John’s gospel, and Peter! When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, we become a new creation and we are in Christ and the Holy Spirit indwells us. But as Paul famously teaches in Romans and Galatians, our flesh and the Spirit of God are in conflict. But our complete transformation gives us both the Spirit’s power and determination to obey Jesus in our daily walk. The problem of persistent sin in a believer’s life is not a contradictory condition. All the apostles condemn sin, all acknowledge the flesh-Spirit conflict, and be assured God knows your heart — and will bring chastisement to awaken us to change course, turn from sin. This chastisement certainly is a loss of blessing and may ultimately be very severe. This author implores you — if you harbor persistent, unconfessed sin, please get on you knees now and seek forgiveness (1 John 1:9), turn from it, and ask God to fill you with His Spirit to help you regain control by a return to practicing righteousness.
3.2 Loving in deed and truth, 1 John 3:11-18
11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 3:11–18). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
The main idea of this section is found in 1 John 3:18, “let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth”.
This is a deeper dive into the topic of 1 John 2:7-11 (see previous lesson [link to post]) and its sister passage 1 John 4:7-11.
The opposite of the practice of love for one another is hatred of a brother or sister. John likens this hatred to the murder of Abel by his brother Cain in Genesis 4. The sequence in Genesis account is jealousy (of Abel’s greater righteousness in an offering of faith — Hebrews 11:4), Cain’s hatred of his brother for his act of faith (for his righteous sacrifice!), and the act of brutal murder Cain perpetrated against innocent Abel.
This is strong language. The jealousy-hatred-murder sequence is repeated when someone hates their brother or sister for living righteously — though hatred may stop short of murder (Matthew 5:21-26). But Jesus taught the hater is liable to judgment. “Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14b) and “no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15b).
John reveals the darkness of the heart that chooses to hate a brother or sister for living righteously. In this passage, Cain also represents the evil, anti-God world that embraces death and loves darkness. The world hates those walking in the light.
John’s closing statement about love includes our motivation to “lay down our lives for the brothers (and sisters)” and to meet the needs of brothers and sisters in Christ with our resources when we have opportunity. Genuine love for another is both a self-sacrificial and self-giving love.
3.3 Side bar — confidence before God, 1 John 3:19-24
The passage in 1 John 3:19-24 is historically difficult to translate (see commentaries). Compare a few major translations using blueletterbible.org and the “Click to change translation” selection menu tab [link]. The same can be done using YouVersion [link].
“By this” looks back to the previous section. John is speaking of the problem of the Christian’s conscience in light of the commandment “love on another” (1 John 3:11) and “to love in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). How can we have assurance before God when we fail to love by our action or inaction?
Some see three actors in this passage: our heart the Accuser, ourselves as Defendants, and God as the Judge.
For example, are we always ready to lay down our lives for brothers and sisters? Have we ever closed our heart to someone in need? We are not habitual haters of our brothers and sisters, but our conscience sometimes legitimately accuses us even as we strive to obey the commandment “love one another”.
In situations where our heart — or conscience — renders a guilty verdict, “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything“. God forgives — this is our assurance. We should never be overcome by failures in our walk with God.
In cases where we walk obediently and fulfill the law of love, we may have confidence — a boldness to approach Him, to speak freely, and to bring our requests to Him without shame. Past failures do not ruin our relationship with the God of forgiveness and love.
Confidence at His coming
Interestingly, the Greek work “confidence” (Gk. parresia) is close in sound and spelling to the word “at his coming“ (Gk. parousia) in 1 John 2:28. You may remember the word “parousia” from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians — see study notes on the Rapture 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11. In this historical context, it often referred to the visit of a dignitary or ruler. The Christian need not shrink back in shame at the coming of Jesus Christ because of the confident assurance we have when we walk in the light, obeying His word.
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure (conciliate; set at ease) our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns (blame; convict) us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence (Gk. parresia παρρησία; Strong’s [G3954]) before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 3:19–24). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
A reasonable paraphrase of this passage is the New Living Translation (but not actually a translation!): [link to paraphrase]
1 John 3:19-22 NLT
Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
3.4 Test the spirits by their life and by truth, 1 John 4:1-6
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 Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (1 John 4:1–6). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
The phrase “test the spirits” of course refers back the the anointing, or teaching, ministry, of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27) in the church of God and in the everyday lives of believers. “Spirit” has a wide field of meaning, and could be referring to demonic spirits in this context, but the best contextual meaning is simply the human spirits of false teachers and false prophets energetically competing for the minds of men and women both inside and outside of the church.
One test determines the legitimacy of these “spirits” — the confession of Jesus Christ has come in the flesh by a regenerate life that indeed confesses him by faith.
So the test has dual evidences:
Doctrinal — confessing Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (Jesus, the God-man)
Spiritual — the confessor has the Spirit of God by faith in Jesus Christ
This is always the case of genuine, spiritual teaching — it elevates Jesus Christ, and confesses that Jesus Christ is God come in human flesh, the Savior of the world. It honors the word of God and the message of the gospel, proclaims the complete regeneration of the lost soul by faith, and has a missionary outlook (1 John 2:1-2 [link]; see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
The false teacher has the spirit of the antichrist and is opposed to the word of God and the power of a life regenerated by his word and the Spirit of God. The false teacher will seek to draw potential disciples away from the Christian faith into a separatist group adopting worldly teachings and philosophies. Consider this article on the “The Five Tests of False Doctrine” [link to article].
Best defenses against doctrinal error
The best defenses against the errors of false teachers and false prophets:
A well read Bible
A life of obedience to God’s word
A life of prayer
A life of sharing the simple gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
Continual fellowship with believers in Jesus Christ in a local church body
Reaching the world with righteousness, love, and faith
Remember, the Christian life is not a retreat into a life of recluse, but an advance against the power of evil in a lost world chained in darkness, proclaiming the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must practice righteousness, love in deed and truth, and test the spirits constantly competing for our minds.
Appendix
NOTES
Underlined Scripture passages are links to full text at bible.com (YouVersion, ESV).
DEFINITIONS
BDAG - A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed.
ca. or circa, “about”
Gk. or “Greek”
lit. - literally
n. - noun
Strong’s - Strong’s Concordance, URL https://strongsconcordance.org [link]
TNTC - Tyndale New Testament Commentary
vb. - verb
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