Proofs

["Click here for scripure"]

Spiritual Discrimination

 ["Click here for I John 4:1-6"]

In the Gospel of Matthew we read this warning from the mouth of Jesus, "If anyone says to you, 'Lo, here is the Christ', or, 'there He is', do not believe it, for false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders so as to lead people astray, even the elect." And even as early as the time of this letter, this had already started to come true.

False prophets were seeking to discredit Jesus because He did not fit the "mould" that they had constructed for the Messiah and sincere Jews who were looking for the Messiah and did not recognize Him when He came because He did not set up an earthly kingdom, these people were formulating their own Messiah, not knowing He had come, or not caring that He had come. Many who would have liked to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, was disillusioned with His crucifixion, their hopes were gone and many started to make up stories about His return to set up the earthly kingdom that they envisioned as the Messiah's work.

So John is saying to these believers, do not believe any pretender. Examine their claims. "Test them by these standards", John says:

  1. Do they say that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has already come?
  2. Do they say that He has come in the flesh? Do they deny his humanity?

These were the prime denials of the Anti-christ at the time of John. To guard against these false doctrines, John says that we are to be led by the Spirit of God in our decisions, for we are His children, born of the Spirit, taught by the Spirit, anointed by God. They had, in the past, overcome these deceivers and they could, in the future, also for, "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."

John concludes these first 6 verses with a simple matter of semantics. If you are of this world, you listen to Satan. If you are of Christ, you listen to God. Matthew Henry says, "The more we are addicted to this world, the more we are remote from God."

Sonship

["Click here for I John 4:7-21"]

These verses promote one central theme, "He who loves God, loves his brother also." So John's first and fervent instruction is to love one another. Then he gives 5 reasons why love must be a part of the Christians life:

  1. Because God is the source of love. He is the author of love. He is the commander of love. He is the supplier and regulator of love.
  2. Because it is the first and foremost proof that we know God. "He who loves, knows God." He who does not love, does not know God. To John, it was just that simple.
  3. As Christians, we should love our brothers because God first loved us. Can we refuse to love those whom God loved enough to send and sacrifice His only Son, to save?
  4. Because it, like No. 2, is assurance that we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We cannot see God nor can others see Him, but they can see the evidences of God in our lives, if we love one another.
  5. Because love accomplishes great things in our Christian lives. The outpouring of Love is the tool of our witness and service to the Lord. Like so many things, we either use it or loose it. This "outpouring of love" John calls "God's Spirit". It is the source of God like love and our concern for others.

Then John reminds us of the prime foundation of the Christian faith, and he does this in 3 steps and it might well be called, "A good three point sermon on God's plan of salvation."

  1. How was this plan accomplished? "God sent His only begotten Son." John testifies to this because he had seen Him and lived with Him for three years.
  2. How is this plan applied to the sinner? "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, had God indwelling in him." Whoever is enlightened by the Holy Spirit and knows that they are a sinner, repents and confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, can be saved and have the indwelling of God, the Holy Spirit.
  3. What is the evidence of this in a believer's life? A life style that reflects the inward change that you profess to have. Love is one evidence of conversion and John dwells more on the works of love than any thing else.

Then John closes Chapter 4 by recommending that we show this love in two important areas of our lives. One, our love of God and two, our love of brother. John says that our love of God will give us "boldness" on the Day of Judgment. It also will allow us to live here without fearing the Lord. Fear of God is natural and commanded in the scriptures, but this fear commands respect and admiration. This kind of fear is different than the kind that comes from a sense of guilt.

Love of Brother is not a natural feeling. It is an acquired feeling when we realize how much we have been loved and how we need to show our gratitude by loving others as God loved us. "If any man says, 'I love God but I hate my brother', he is a liar." John is presenting for us a life for which we should strive, one of complete dedication to Christ and to Christian principles. It is not easy nor do we see it practiced, as we should, in every Christian's life, for it requires an individual who is completely self-less, but never let this stop you from trying.


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