What Does It Mean to Test the Spirits?

Reflecting on the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Two Days after Sunday (Year A)

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Psalter: Psalm 47

Old Testament: 1 Kings 18:36-39

Epistle: 1 John 4:1-6

Scripture (complementary)

Psalter: Psalm 119:161-168

Old Testament: 1 Kings 21:17-29

Epistle: 1 John 4:1-6

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Prayer

Loving God, open our ears to hear your word and draw us closer to you, that the whole world may be one with you as you are one with us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Reflection

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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is 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. 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. They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 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 (1 John 4:1-6).

The first question to ask is what are the “spirits” John is referencing? The spirits should be understood as influences by way of teachings—even ideologies—that are presented as spiritual or godly. John warns the believers not to unquestioningly believe every teaching they encounter but to examine them carefully. The purpose of testing the spirits is to discern whether they align with the truth and come from God.

John specifically highlights the confession about Jesus Christ as a criterion for testing the spirits. He emphasizes that any teaching or influence that acknowledges and affirms Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh is from God. On the other hand, any spirit that denies Jesus as the Incarnate Son of God is not from God, but is associated with the spirit of the antichrist. It seems clear from the letter that the community to whom John is writing has been infiltrated by persons who deny the Incarnation. Such denial threatens the very salvation claimed in Jesus.

John encourages the believers by reminding them that they are from God and have overcome the false spirits because the Holy Spirit dwells within them. He contrasts the perspectives of those from the world and those from God, highlighting that those who are aligned with God will listen to the apostles’ teachings (which will become known as “Apostolicity.”)

The testing of the spirits refers to the process of discerning and evaluating teachings and influences to determine their alignment with God’s truth, particularly in relation to the confession of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh. It serves as a reminder for believers to be discerning and not easily swayed by false teachings or deceptive influences.

For Jesus to be Savior, he must be fully human and fully divine; in short, because that which the Son has not become he cannot save and only God can make salvation possible.

PRAYER: Hear our prayers, God of power, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb, that we may desire you as the fullness of life and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world. Amen.

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