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BIBLE
STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday July 21, 2019
DISCERNING FALSE PROPHETS
1 John 4:1-6
Both, in the first
century, and now, many people claim to be preaching and teaching under the
inspiration of the HOLY SPIRIT. Both, in the first century, and now, the spirit
of the antichrist has sought to, and, has probably, on more occasions than we
are willing to admit, successfully infiltrated the minds of Church folks through
their false teachings.
Here in his first letter
to the Christian Church, the Apostle John warns the Church to test the spirit
of all of their teachers. Many teachers throughout the history of the Church
will readily praise JESUS as “a good man”, or “a prophet from GOD, and those
things are true, however, here in this passage of 1 John, chapter 4, John gives
us a sure test by which we can examine all teachers whom claim to be sent by
GOD.
Taking up at verses 2-3,
John says that “This is the way to find
out if they have the SPIRIT of GOD: If a prophet acknowledges that JESUS CHRIST
became a “human being”, that person has the SPIRIT of GOD. If a prophet does
not acknowledge JESUS (became 100% human for our sake), that person is not from GOD. Such a person has the spirit of the
antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is
already here”.
In the Greek, the phrase
“from GOD”, used here by John, is “ek tou theou”. “Ek” is one of the most
common Greek prepositions, and it
means “out of” or “from”. Since the Greek term “HO THEOS” means GOD, the term “tou
theou” used here, is the “genitive case” (expresses possession, measurement, or
source) after the preposition. And so here John is saying that, the person’s
spirit, or quality, has to have its origins in GOD.
The true man of GOD
takes up his origins in GOD, and his life, from GOD. Here the Apostle John
invites us to use “diakrino judgment” (rebuke and reprove using the Word of GOD
as our standard) in order to discern whether or not a person’s spirit really
derives its source of origin from GOD, or from satan. “Love” has its origin in
GOD, and “fear” has its origin in satan, and there is no middle ground. There
is only a line in the sand where GOD HIMSELF drew it, and we’re either all the
way on “GOD’s side” of that line, or, we are all the way on that side which
belongs satan.
Satan has built a fence
along his side of that line, and those who think they can straddle that fence
until they make up their minds, must be aware that, since the fence is on
satan’s side of the line, and owned by him, then, they are actually, not in a
neutral position, or zone, but rather, they are squarely on the side of satan.
And so we see that, even when we are afraid (fear) to make a choice about GOD,
we have, in reality, already made a choice.
For the “true
Christian”, HE WHO is in us (the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD) is greater than he who is
in the world (the spirit of satan) (v.4). We have already won our fight with
these false prophets because we have already accepted our victory in CHRIST
JESUS, our LORD. The SPIRIT lives in us, and those who believe in GOD, will
only hear and listen to those who are of, and from GOD. People who belong to
this world can only speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world will
eagerly listen to them. Those who know, and desire to know GOD, will listen to
people who belong to GOD. That is how we know if someone has the SPIRIT of
truth, or the spirit of error, or, deception (Vs.4-6).
SHOWING DIVINE LOVE
1 John 4:7-21
Since love originates
with GOD in the Christian sense, a person who loves his fellowman is born of
GOD, and, in a discerning way, “knows” GOD (“oida” in the Greek – to know
inherently or intuitively). Thereby, in contrast, the absence of love can be
viewed as evidence that a person does not know GOD.
In 1 John 4:7-21, the
apostle and author of GOD, elevates the topic of love to yet another level.
Here John shows the divine and inseparable link between “GOD” and “love”. GOD
showed how much HE loves us by sending HIS only begotten SON into the human
realm so that we the people might have eternal life through HIM (v.9). HE did
not send HIM because we were lovable, but rather, HE sent HIM because HIS love
for us required that HE rescue us from ourselves.
Such an action from GOD
provides the defining standard for love as we know it, and thus, we as
Christians are responsible to love each other because we enjoy the privilege of
HIS largesse. Not only is GOD the source of love, HE is love itself, by HIS
very nature. GOD is love, and anyone who doesn’t love his fellowman doesn’t
know GOD.
Christians, who say they
love all men, and indeed, really do have the love of GOD in their hearts,
cannot stand idly by and watch while any other group of people, different than
themselves, is being treated unjustly, or is being oppressed in any way,
without coming to their defense in the name of JESUS. The love of CHRIST must
be expressed fully by us, and exemplified through us in our actions (v.12).
In the New Testament
Greek, the word used for “abide” is “meno”, and it means “to stay in a given
place, state, relationship, or expectancy”. If we abide in our relationship
with GOD, our love will grow more perfect. And when our history judges us, we
won’t be afraid to come before GOD. We can face HIM confidently, because our
history will show that we tried to live like CHRIST here on earth (v.17).
Learning to show and express the “divine love” of CHRIST will dispel all fear
of the coming judgment, which “true Christians” will not have to face.
Because GOD is love, and
CHRIST’ new commandment is love, it only stands to reason that love will
inevitably bring us closer to each other, and, at one and the same time, closer
to GOD. It is only by love that we ever come to know GOD, and it is only by
GOD, that we ever come to know love.
“The Christian Hope”
has, throughout the history of the Church, served as motivation to make life on
earth conform more fully, with the Word and ways of GOD, just as they were
presented to us by JESUS CHRIST, during HIS life here on earth. The very
foundation of that Christian hope, rest on “faith” in CHRIST JESUS, WHO
delivered us into salvation. The only
commandment that HE ever gave us was to “love one another”, and so we see why
it is said that “faith”, “hope”, and “love” are “the three great enduring
things” (1 Corinthians 13:13), and of those three things, “love” is the
greatest, because “GOD is love”.
All that we know now is
partial and incomplete, because, until we finish this Christian race, we will
remain “children” in the purest sense of the word, and in the true sense of
what knowledge really is. We are incapable right now, of handling the Heavenly
knowledge that GOD will one day impart to those who abide in HIM to the end.
But we do know now that if we don’t have love for those brothers and sisters
that we now see all around us, we will never be able to love GOD, WHOM we
cannot physically see at all. We must rely on our “faith” to maintain “hope” as
motivation to endure this earthly journey until we are ushered into GOD’s OWN
glorious presence by CHRIST JESUS.
And finally, in the
biblical Greek, the word used for “confidence” is “parrhesia”
(par-rhay-see-ah), and it is “a sense of sureness that is exemplified in both
spirit and demeanor”. GOD HIMSELF has commanded that we love not only HIM, but
also, our Christian brothers and sisters. And when we honor and obey that
command, we can be confident that when we stand before the LORD, our conscience
will be clear, and we will be able to face HIM without fear, guilt, or shame.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
