After discussing the great love of God and how we need to love one another in chapter 3, 1 John 4 talks about how to “test the spirits” to know if they are from God (v. 1). This was important to the readers because many false prophets and teachers were trying to persuade them to believe something different from the gospel that the apostles taught them. The tests are just as important to us today, in a world where many claim to represent the truth.

The first test is of acknowledging Jesus is from God (1 John 4:2-3). In the first century, false teachers denied that Jesus came in the flesh and was the Son of God. We see this in our world today: denial of Jesus and his ways, and presenting philosophies and opinions of the world as “truth”. Verse 5 warns about those of the world speaking “from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.” We instead are to listen to God (v. 6) by listening to His Word and those who speak from it. The test of acknowledging Jesus and His Word helps us to “recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (v. 6).

The next test is one of love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (v. 8). But how do we know that God is love? John’s answer is that God “showed his love among us” by sending “his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (v. 9). It’s because God showed his love first to us (v. 19) in this way that we can know love and learn to love one another. The test of love, then, is that we love one another. John 13:35 says that we show everyone we are his disciples, if we love one another. In the world around us, we see many examples of lack of love and the results. The test of love will lead us to be with and love those who are in Christ and not follow the false teachers of the world.

The third test is of the Spirit. If He has given us His Spirit, we know that He lives in us (v. 13). We have the Spirit living in us if we have acknowledged Jesus (v. 15) and if we live in love through God living in us (v. 15-16). God’s Spirit in us gives us the knowledge and love we need to live a life in the truth. The Spirit gives us the ability to obey the command in v. 21: to love our brothers and sisters.

These three tests help us to avoid the false teaching of the world and live our lives in love for God and others. How do we acknowledge Jesus with how we live? Do we show God’s love by our love for others? Do we listen to God’s Spirit in us and obey his commands? Dear friends, “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (v. 1)