1 JOHN LESSON 6
I John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world."
"Beloved", of course, is speaking to Christians then and now.
There has never been a time in history when there were more strange
doctrines being taught than right now. It is the obligation of
believers to determine for themselves, whether the message being
taught is of God or not. The only way for us to be qualified to judge
the message is to know the Bible. We must search the Scriptures
diligently to know the truth. The devil is a counterfeit. The false
messages being brought forth are very close to truth. They just change
a word here and there, and change the meaning. One of the most recent
tricks being brought forth by the devil in the church, is a watering
down of Jesus to where He is not God. Another terrible teaching that
is making the rounds, is that Jesus did not become God, until He rose
from the grave. This is blasphemy. Jesus was the Word of God in
heaven. He was there from the beginning. He is the Eternal One. He is
Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is Eternal God the
Word. To teach that the devil, or his demons, ever had any control
over Jesus is also a lie. Jesus was not forced to die on the cross. He
gave His life willingly. His flesh was the only thing that died on the
cross. From the cross, He {Jesus} dismissed His Spirit from His body,
and commanded it to go to the Father. Jesus was Eternal Spirit in the
body of flesh. Anyone who believes Jesus to be less than God, is
teaching a false doctrine.
I John 4:2 "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:"
To confess Jesus as the Christ {Messiah}, the Anointed One, is to
have Him as your Saviour. This, to me, is saying, we must believe that
the Word of God took on the form of flesh and dwelt among us. He was
not a man, He was just housed in the body of a man here on the earth.
Inside that flesh, dwelt the Spirit of God. He was Emmanuel {God with
us}. Notice, also, that people like you and me are spirits, as well.
The part of us that contains life is our spirit. God had made a clay
doll in the beginning from the dust of the earth. We were mere vacant
houses of flesh. God breathed the breath of life in us, and we were
alive. He then gave us the ability to choose good and evil when He
made us living souls. We must know who Jesus is, before we can have
faith in Him for salvation. Man's blood {or an animal's blood} cannot
cleanse you from all unrighteousness. The blood of God cleanses us
from our sins. The blood of a child comes from the Father. God the
Holy Spirit hovered over Mary, and she conceived of God. Mary
furnished the body. It was not Mary's blood that flowed through that
body, but God's. We must believe Jesus to be God manifest in the flesh
to be saved.
I John 4:3 "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit]
of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the world."
The terrible thing is that many churches teach that Jesus was
nothing more than a man when He walked on the earth. You can easily
see this is a dangerous message to bring. We cannot think of Jesus as
just another man. He is divine in nature. The divinity of Christ has
been a question for years. That is what separates the true believers
from those who would be against Christ. The true believers believe
Jesus was God manifest in the flesh. Even to believe He became God at
resurrection, would be classified as those opposed to God. Philippians
2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in
heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;" This
alone, makes you know He is deity.
I John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome
them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world."
John is writing this to true Christians {children of God}. The He
that is in us is Christ. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me." With Christ in me, I can do
all things. It is Christ in me that overcomes the enemy.
I John 4:5 "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the
world, and the world heareth them."
The they, spoken of here, are those who follow after the flesh.
They are caught up in the world. They have no hope, because they base
everything they believe on what they can see with their eyes. They
have eyes to see, and they do not see, and ears to hear, and they hear
not. They place their faith in this world and its trappings.
I John 4:6 "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he
that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth,
and the spirit of error."
Christians will receive this message that John and the other true
apostles are bringing. Christians have ears to hear, and they hear.
I John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
Since the importance of love is the subject here, He says
beloved. We Christians are the beloved of God. One of the main things
that separates the Christians from the world, is the great love that
we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. God not only loves,
but is love itself. When we are born of God, we are born of His love.
To explain the love of God for us would be like trying to explain life
itself. The word "loveth" means continues to love. One of the great
things I believe about the United States, is the fact that we are
concerned about the problems of people of every race. When there is
famine, we try to help. When there is a devastating earthquake, we try
to help. We are a loving caring nation. That makes me believe there is
still hope for our nation to come back to God, and be the Christian
nation we started out to be.
I John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
When you find a person filled with hate, you know that he, or
she, has never experienced that great unselfish love that God has for
each of us. There is a need in every person to be loved. Some have
never realized that anyone loves them. When you find a person in this
condition, if you can make them understand that God loves them, they
will change.
I John 4:9 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him."
God loved all of mankind, one at a time from the very beginning.
If He did not, why would He have bothered to create us in the first
place? The greatest love ever shown was the love of God for us, when
He sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sin and from
ourselves. Truly our life is hidden in Jesus. Jesus is eternal Life.
If we have Jesus, we have eternal Life.
I John 4:10 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he
loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins."
The strangest and most wonderful part of this is that, He loved
us when we were totally unlovable. We were yet in sin, when God sent
His Son to save us. He did not wait until we had cleaned up our lives
to save us. He saved us, and then helped us clean up our lives. We not
only did not love God, we did not know that He loved us. Propitiation,
in this verse, means atonement. In other words, He paid the penalty
for our sins in full. We have no debt to pay. Our bill is marked paid
in full. The great love of God for man is made real to us in this.
I John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love
one another."
God taught us by example the unselfish love that we need to have
for each other. If the world today needs one thing, it is love. Take
the time to hug someone and say you love them today. Let the love that
God has showed you shine through you and make someone else's life a
little brighter. DO NOT CONFUSE LOVE WITH LUST. When you hug someone,
make sure it is love, and not lust, you are feeling.
I John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one
another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."
We know that no one can look upon the face of God and live. Moses
came the closest, when he saw the back side of God as He passed by. We
see God by looking at Jesus, who is the image of the Father. Jesus
told the disciples, if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father.
This just meant that the Spirit of God dwelled within Him. Jesus was
the manifestation of the Godhead on the earth. When we are full of
God's love, we are full of Jesus. The more full of Jesus we are, the
more love we have for others.
I John 4:13 "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit."
When Jesus went to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father,
He promised to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within each of us. The
fact that we have the Spirit within us, tells us that He has never
left us. Romans 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
I John 4:14 "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent
the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world."
The purpose of the presence of God in the form of flesh on the
earth, was for the salvation of all mankind. Jesus, who was the Word
of God in heaven, took on the form of flesh as the Son of God to save
us. He took on the name, Jesus, because it means Saviour. He is our
Saviour and our Lord.
I John 4:15 "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of
God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
I have used them so much that I will not quote them here, but the
greatest verification of this Scripture is in Romans chapter 10 verses
9 and 10. Another wonderful Scripture on this is Matthew 10:32
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess
also before my Father which is in heaven." This is in the very words
of Jesus Himself. There is no question, when we confess. Confess is to
tell a truth. We know in our heart, and confess with our mouth as
verification that we are full of Jesus.
I John 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God
hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him."
Our families and friends may turn against us, but we know that
God loves us. We need never be lonely or blue, we have the love of God
filling us. This is not just an occasional love, but a love that is
forever. If we are filled with God's love to this extent, it should
spring forth from us to others we are in contact with. There is such a
peace and comfort that comes, knowing that God's love is always there.
I John 4:17 "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this
world."
To know this love gives us perfect confidence to stand before the
Judge of the world on judgement day. Perfect love knows no fear. Fear
is the opposite of faith. When this love and faith becomes more and
more, we become more like Jesus every day. The world will be able to
see Jesus in us, when this happens.
I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth
out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love."
It is impossible to please God, if we fear. Fear is of the devil.
Faith is of God. When we are overwhelmed by the love of God for us and
our love for God, there is no place for fear. If God loves us, He will
take care of us. We have nothing to fear. Those who are overcome with
fear, have not experienced that perfect peace that comes from the
perfection of our love for God and His love for us.
I John 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us."
He taught us how to love when He showed us by example. He loved
us, and showed us how to love Him.
I John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he
is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how
can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
When I see this Scripture, I remember what Jesus said. Inasmuch
as ye have done it for the least of these, ye have done it unto me. We
cannot express our love for God directly, except in praise. We cannot
buy dinner for Jesus. We can, however, buy dinner for someone who is
hungry in the name of Jesus. To express our love for God, we must
express it through His children. When we love our brothers on the
earth, we are in turn loving Jesus who made them.
I John 4:21 "And this commandment have we from him, That he who
loveth God love his brother also."
When we are filled with the love of God, it proceeds from us.
Whoever we are near, gets the blessings of that overflowing love. Love
and hate are opposites and cannot dwell in the same place. It is
impossible to hate, when we are consumed with God's love. We love all
of God's creation, and that includes the brothers.
1 John 6 Questions
1. Beloved, believe not every _________.
2. Try the spirits whether they are of _________.
3. Why should we do this?
4. Who are the "beloved" in verse 1?
5. Who is the obligation on to determine whether the message is of
God, or not?
6, What makes us qualified to judge the message?
7. What are some of the names that let us know the eternity of Jesus?
8. What, about Jesus, died on the cross?
9. Jesus was Eternal __________ in the _______ of flesh.
10. Quote 1 John chapter 4 verse 2.
11. What are some other names for Christ?
12. What name makes us know He was God with us?
13. Whose blood flowed through Jesus' body?
14. What is the spirit that denies Christ called?
15. What is the nature of Jesus?
16. Quote Philippians chapter 2 verse 10.
17. What are the Christians called in verse 4?
18. Quote Galatians chapter 2 verse 20.
19. What do the people of the world believe?
20. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of ______.
21. God is ______.
22. How was God's love manifested to mankind?
23. Do not confuse love with ________.
24. __ ____ hath seen God at any time.
25. Quote Romans chapter 8 verse 9.
26. The Father sent the Son to be the ___________ of the world.
27. What does the name Jesus mean?
28. What gives us perfect confidence on judgement day?
29. There is no _________ in love.
30. What is the opposite of fear?
31. Why do we love Him?
32. If a man say he love God and hate his brother, he is a _______.
33. It is impossible to hate, when we are consumed with God's _______.
Home