Welcome to Day 2731 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2731– A Discerning Life – Distinguishing Truth from Error – 1 John 4:1-6

Putnam Church Message – 10/12/2025

Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John

“Distinguishing Truth from Error "

 

Last week, we continued through the letter of 1 John and explored how to have “A Discerning Life: Not Like Cain, But Like Christ!"

This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will explore how to have “Distinguishing Truth from Error” from 1 John 4:1-6 from the NIV, which is found on page 1902 of your Pew Bibles.

Discerning False Prophets

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ>has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

Opening Prayer

Some statements of Scripture haunt us. If we were to dwell on them too long, meditate on them too deeply, or obsess over them too frequently, they would keep us awake at night. It is much like most news sources and social media posts. We must determine truth from error. They warn of impending trouble for believers and alarming developments for the church. The following passages together paint a pretty bleak picture of the deteriorating world around us:

• “You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.” ( 24:9)


• “And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.” ( 24:11 )


• “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.” ( 24:12 )


• “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.” ( 24:24 )


• “The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.” (John 16:2)


• “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 )


• “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.” (1 Tim. 4:1)


• “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” (2 Tim. 4:3–4)


• “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1 Pet. 4:12 )

In his meandering discussion of the Christian life, the apostle John returns to a theme he already introduced in the very beginning of this section: the contrast between truth and error, between deceiving “antichrists” and trustworthy teachers. In this particular passage, John focuses on the responsibility not of the teachers but of the hearers—our responsibility to distinguish truth from error.  John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The more we know about truth, the more we will appreciate verses like: That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

4:1

John begins expressing his concern for the doctrinal purity of his readers by issuing two serious commands. He commands these things because he cares for his readers deeply—they are his “beloved” children in Christ. John has already written to these believers about the importance of loving one another and not loving the world (1 Jn. 2:15 ; 3:23 ). Our love must be discriminating, discerning, distinguishing love. Similarly, as John discusses the doctrines we embrace as Christians, it becomes clear that our faith must be discriminating, discerning, and distinguishing faith. To that end, John issues these two commands—the first is negative, the second positive—“do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit” and “test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God” (4:1).

The term translated “spirit” here is pneuma, which most basically means “breath” or “wind.” It’s also used to describe an immaterial, nonphysical nature, either divine, angelic, or human. In 1 John 4:1, as Smalley notes, “The term … signifies a human person who is inspired by the spirit of truth or the spirit of error.”

The fact is, every human teacher—whether their teaching is true or false—is motivated and empowered by something that is often hidden behind the scenes. This may be a spirit of wickedness, falsehood, self-interest, and carnality … or a spirit of righteousness, truth, love, and holiness. Ultimately, we know that teachers blown about by the winds of error are under the influence of satanic deception, whether they know it or not. And teachers driven by the winds of truth are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

John uses his characteristic this-or-that method of setting forth the truth in his no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase manner. Everyone who teaches is either the mouthpiece of the spirit of truth, speaking for God … or the mouthpiece of the spirit of error, speaking for Satan. His first command is, essentially, “Don’t be gullible.” Don’t believe everything you hear. Look before you leap! You need to look beyond the outward and discern the spiritual reality.

This leads to the second command: “Test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God” (4:1). I picture a well-trained guard dog, like a Doberman pinscher. The moment a Doberman hears a sound or catches a movement in its domain, its pointy ears pop up and its eyes fix on the source. And if there’s a threat, that watchdog leaps into action to defend its territory. Christians need to be equally alert and equipped to discern between truth and error, particularly regarding the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

Test the spirits. Don’t judge a teacher by the size of the crowd they can attract. Don’t be impressed by titles, degrees, and letters after names. Don’t be enamored by the beauty of the robe, the sheen of the suit, or the eloquence of the voice. Our standard is the Word of God, /the gospel of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, /and the essential truths of the historic Christian faith. Some today may call this narrow-minded. But the Bible calls the reception of these truths “noble-minded.” Luke describes those who heard the gospel in Berea in this way: And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. (Acts 17:11 ).

John uses the term dokimazō , “to test,” in a way similar to Paul’s use in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22: ²¹ but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. ²² Stay away from every kind of evil. The word means “to make a critical examination of something to determine genuineness.” A gemologist can use their knowledge of diamonds to make a critical examination of a ring and determine whether it’s genuine. A banker can usually discriminate between a genuine bill and a counterfeit by applying his thorough knowledge of the look, feel, and qualities of authentic currency. Similarly, believers must possess a thor