1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
There have always been false teachers, but they must have been particularly difficult to face in the early Church. Many Christians would have come from completely different religious and philosophical backgrounds, and few of the church leaders would have had much education. It would have been extremely easy for articulate people to creep into the Church and lead people astray. Anyone can claim to speak by the Spirit, and it is not surprising that many young impressionable Christians simply accepted what they were saying. What John wanted to do was to encourage every Christian to test what they heard.
Jesus himself was well aware of the challenge from false teachers. In the Sermon on the Mount, he said: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act” (Matthew 7:15-16). Jesus was saying that the lives of prophets must ring true. A prophet who is unkind, rude, bitter, unforgiving or unloving couldn’t possibly be a true prophet.
There were many different false teachings floating around in the early Church, but John was particularly concerned about those who were denying that Jesus was really human. He was very blunt: if someone did not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, he concluded that person did not come from God and had the spirit of the antichrist. False teaching wasn’t just unfortunate, but was to be avoided and resisted at all costs.
In a world that is teeming with false prophets, we all need to be on the alert. John declared that we can be confident as we do so because the Holy Spirit is greater than the spirit who lives in the world, and he will lead us into all truth.
Question
What are the false teachings which we need to be careful to avoid today?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to listen to the voice of your Holy Spirit day by day. Amen
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3:19
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3:19
September 13th - 1 John 3:16
1 John 3:16
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
The most famous verse in the whole Bible is John 3:16: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” It’s a wonderful verse, and it takes us to heart of the good news. We need to read it alongside today’s verse, 1 John 3:16, its natural twin, which reminds us that it is not only a case of God loving us and sending Jesus for our salvation, but about us in turn offering up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.
I thank God for the amazing Christians that I have known over the years who have poured out their lives for others. I think of children’s and youth workers, deacons and elders, ministers and carers who, because of their love for God, have gladly given everything to support other people. They have thought little of their personal safety or health but have kept on loving in the face of disappointment, discouragement and ill health. They have looked for no reward other than to know that they faithfully served their Lord.
This practical love takes many forms, and in the next verse, John speaks of the obligation on those who have enough money to show compassion to Christian brothers and sisters who are in need. C.H. Dodd, the great biblical scholar, defined love as “the willingness to surrender that which has value for our own life, to enrich the life of another”. Love is always costly. It involves giving to others something that we genuinely value but which we gladly give in order to bring joy and blessing to others. It’s a challenging way to live life, but it’s God’s way, and it’s always best.
Question
As you serve God today, what is he calling you to give to others in need?
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you for sending Jesus into the world to be my Saviour. Help me to be more ready to be loving and generous to others. Amen
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3:23
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3:23
September 12th - 1 John 3:1
1 John 3:1
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!
My wife and I had the privilege of being foster parents for a number of years. Those years gave me a new understanding of how important our relationship with our parents is. To be honest, I took for granted the love, security, affirmation and warmth of my own parents, but I now treasure those amazing gifts in a new way. Here, John reflected on the even more important relationship that we can have with our Father God. He burst out in wonder as he reflected on the fact that God loves us so much that he chose to call us his children. He did so not as a mere formality, but because we really are his children.
Just as the relationship between children and their parents will have life-long implications, so too will our relationship with God our Father colour and shape our lives. We have the privilege of being able to walk into every new day with the certain knowledge that we are loved. We are secure for time and eternity. As John unpacked this theme, he reflected that he didn’t know what we’d be like in the future when Christ appears, but he knew one thing: we will be like Christ, for we will see him as he really is. We know little about the future, but that’s absolutely fine if our relationship with God is secure. Whatever his plans may be for us, we can be sure that they will be the best.
God’s love for us is all about grace. He loves us not because of anything good that we have done or could ever do. He has called us to be his children, and all we have to do is reach out and accept his hand of love. As with John, all we can do is burst out in praise and thank our heavenly Father that we are not only called the children of God, but really are!
Question
What does it mean to you to be one of God’s children?
Prayer
Lord God, I thank you for the privilege of being your child and knowing that my future is completely secure in your hands. Amen
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3:13
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3:13
September 11th - 1 John 2:26-27
1 John 2:26-27
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie.
Our world today is very different from the one that John knew, but I suspect that if he were addressing us, he wouldn’t have changed his message at all. The Christians he was speaking to were under constant attack from false teachers, and he was eager that they should be strong in their faith and able to stand up to every challenge. These days, anyone with access to the internet can have instant connection to an unlimited number of religions and philosophies. It can all be very bewildering and confusing.
John would want to offer us the same encouragement that he brought 1,900 years ago. The Holy Spirit is still our completely reliable teacher. He teaches us everything that we need to know. Towards the end of his ministry, Jesus told his disciples it was to their advantage that he left them because when he went, the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (John 16:7). He described the Holy Spirit as the advocate or paraclete. The Greek word literally means “someone who draws alongside us”. I’ve always found it most helpful to think of the Holy Spirit as the supreme friend. He understands and loves us perfectly and is able to lead us into all truth. If we are relying on him, we can be confident as we face challenges from other philosophies and religions.
The Holy Spirit uses lots of different ways of teaching us. He certainly speaks through the Bible and prayer, but he also speaks through other Christians, music, art, literature and nature. Our role is to be open to him, listening out for his voice but doing so with the confidence of knowing that he loves to share his truth with us.
Question
What has the Holy Spirit been teaching you recently?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit. Help me to be constantly listening to his voice so that Jesus will be praised in all that I do. Amen
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3:28
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3:28
September 10th - 1 John 2:15
1 John 2:15
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
John’s concern here was very similar to that of Jesus when, in the Sermon on the Mount, he said that it was impossible to serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). We have a choice to make as to whether we will allow all our energy to be expended on worldly interests or on God’s kingdom. We cannot possibly do both. John encouraged his readers to focus their attention on loving God and not the temporary pleasures of the world.
Does that mean we should all leave our jobs and homes and sit on a park bench reading the Bible? No, far from it! We are called to enjoy God’s world, to serve him in our jobs and homes and to live alongside those who know nothing of him, but, as we do so, we need to keep our focus on the things that last and not on those pleasures, possessions and achievements which have a very short shelf life.
John writes in very sharp language to encourage us to sort out our priorities. When our actions are shaped by our love of God, everything else will flow in the right way. We will see our achievements and possessions as a gift of God’s grace and not as a sign of our brilliance and success. We will seek to use everything that God has given us to bless other people and to enhance their enjoyment of life, and in doing so we will please God.
When we focus all our attention on possessions and pleasure, we push God out, and we push life out in the process. John’s language may be blunt, but this is because he wanted his readers to live their lives to the full, which will only happen if we live for God.
Question
How do you seek to give God priority in your daily life?
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for the life that you have given me. Help me to live responsibly and carefully in this world and never to fall in love with it. Amen
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