John Chapter 4 "Spirit of Antichrist; the Spirit of Love." This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and made available with written
permission by http://www.theseason.org I John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." We are instructed to try the spirits because there are good spirits, as well as there are bad spirits. This is just as there are good brethren as well as bad brethren. We have to practice discernment of the spirits, and that is why we were taught in the last chapter, as to how we are to handle the situation of brethren that have grown lazy and rebellious. We are to perfect our ability to discern those spirits and what it is that we are to do. How do you know if you have a brother in Christ that is rebellious, or if he is actually an enemy and of the devil? That is what we are learning about in this chapter. Don't believe every spirit, but we are to test the spirits to see if they are of God, or of the devil. The false prophet is a religious leader that stands behind a pulpit, or teaches but what he teaches is against the Word of God. Today there are many false prophets, and this is very biblical. John is telling us not to believe every spirit until they are tested. I John 4:2 "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:" In other words, if you believe Psalms 22 that Christ would be crucified as He was, that the Roman sholdiers would gamble for His clothing. Also as recorded in Zechariah 9:9, 10 that there would be both a first and second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And that the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled the entire Scriptures from beginning to end, then you are in good shape. I John 4:3 "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." The spirit of antichrist is the "spirit of instead of Christ". It has been claimed from the beginning of the Scriptures that these spirits would be with us. Can you discern the difference between the good spirits and the bad spirits? Remember that the spirit of antichrist is most practiced amongst false prophets, as we say in verse one. Those false prophets stand a teachers of God's word. I John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He That is in you, than he that is in the world." Christ that is within us is greater then Satan, the prince of the power of this world, and all of his realm. If you follow God's Word you will have no problem at all. Matthew 10:16; "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise a serpents, and harmless as doves." It doesn't take a great deal of effort to be wiser then the doers of this world. You become wiser then Satan when you can beat him at his own game in this world. We are in the world to live in the flesh body, to earn our living and at the same time plant the seeds that will bring souls into the harvest from God. When you learn to use the Word of God, and understand the times that you are living in, you can become very prosperous from your understanding of His Word. God's Word tells you what the future is and it is accurate. That is why it becomes essential to know the signs of the times, and events that we will be living in. I John 4:5 "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." Those persons that are of the spirit of antichrist are in the world, and blind to what is before them. They just can't see past it. When those false prophets speak in street talk, and speaks words that the world seems to understand, yet it is not backed up by the Word of God; be aware of the spirit that is within them. If the public and world at large hear their words, and find no fault in those words, the spirit is of this world. This could also be wall street talk, or from the finest universities in the world, it is still a spirit of antichrist [instead of Christ] if God's holy Word does not back up what they are saying. In what ever you do, farming, business, education or what ever you do let the Spirit of God be your guide. I John 4:6 "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." All those people that are of God know when they hear teaching from God, and they understand because the same Spirit of God is speaking to each. They speak the same language, spiritually speaking. Even if the teacher is teaching world wide, those of God will know and understand the instructions given by the Spirit of God. Those that are not of God, and do not have the Spirit of God within them will not understand because they think it is foolishness. Those that are touched by God knows the spirit of truth from the spirit of error. Do you know the difference between the spirit of God, and the spirits of Satan when it is being taught from a pulpit. There was a spirit of Adam, just as there was a spirit of Cain. They are different, and Cain has no part in the spirit or the genealogy of Adam. The two spirits of God and Satan, of Adam and Cain are not the same nor will they ever be. Though the spirits of antichrist, and the Kenites are trying to prepare the world for the coming of the Antichrist [Satan], those with the Spirit of God can identify those evil spirits of instead of Christ and not they will not be deceived. I John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." Everyone that loves his fellow brethren is of God, and is born from above of God. We know God from His Word, and when they hear the Word, the Spirit of God gives them understanding to it. When the Spirit of God is within a person, the first time you hear God's Word being taught, you know it is right. When a person of God possesses the Spirit of God, and serving Him, that Spirit flows through him or her. The true teacher has the gift of the Holy Spirit because of their ability to teach and make know the Word of God. There is no confusion when they rightly divide the Scriptures. I John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Through the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit that came to earth and made real the Word of God, that we could see and understand God's love toward us. I John 4:9 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." This is the condition that allow us to understand. It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can understand the reason that God sent His only begotten Son to be born of the flesh. Jesus Christ sole purpose for coming to earth in the flesh was to die on the cross exactly as prophesied, that we might live through Him. We live eternally when His Spirit enters our soul and spirit and gives us that everlasting life. We then have our God of light and Spirit of light living within us, and He gives us that light that over-powers the darkness of Satan, and the forces of all his realm. We have the victory in Christ, and there is no power that can take that away. Love is the most powerful thing in the world. We should even love those brothers and sisters that have fallen short, and in that love comes discipline and correction [separation] with the purpose to bring that brother back into a live of love with Christ. We are not to hate the brethren, no matter what state they have fallen, nor treat them as a enemy, but we are to show the love of God to them. Discipline at times is not pleasant, but it is still love. I John 4:10 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." John is telling us exactly what Love is. First let's understand what that word "propitiation" means. In the Greek it means a great deal more then it means in the English. It means an "atonement" or the sacrifice that is placed on an alter, and comes from the prime word for "mercy seat". It is the cover on the mercy seat. Within this we see Christ's shed blood, in that He loved us so much that the Father allowed the shed blood of His Son to be the anointing, or the covering for you. When we speak of God's love for you, there is one thing that God can not and will not do. God will not force anyone to love Him. That is why Satan was never brought into control. Satan was one of the cherubs that protected the mercy seat in the first earth age, before His fall, as we read in Ezekiel 28:2; "Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, `I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God." Satan is the prime example of a child of God that really went bad. Now try to understand the love of God that extends from this, that in as much as one third of His children were drawn away by this person Satan, whose main duty was to protect the mercy seat, Satan tried to take over the entire mercy seat. If Satan had his way there would be no mercy seat, nor forgiveness for sin in this earth age. So because of the fall of one third of Gods children in that first earth age, God destroyed that age that was, and brought in this earth age. In this second earth age all souls would be brought into this age innocent of the first age, and born in the flesh from the womb of woman. Each soul would not remember the sin of the first age, nor the overthrow, but would have the privilege and the opportunity to accept the love of God, and be covered by the shed blood of Christ for their sins. God is loyal and faithful to his children, even though they may be our to His will. But He will not force you to love Him. True love simply can not be ordered. You can't buy it, or it is false love. It must originate from within each individual, and that means even in you. That is what John is saying here; "Herein is love", that He thought enough of you, and loved you from that first earth age, that He prepared a way that you could be drawn back to Him. That way is under the shed blood of Christ, so that we can repent to Him, and ask forgiveness when we fall short of His Word. This is the only way that sin can be erased today, for the altar sacrifices were finished when Jesus went to the cross. I John 4:11 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." Why is this so? Because all of our brothers and sisters in Christ love the same Lord and Savior that we do, and if they have God, and His Spirit in them, it becomes a matter of loving God when we love them. You simply cannot hate God, and have the Holy Spirit of God in you at the same time. When God is in them, you cannot separate them from God. I John 4:12 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us." If you love God, and His Spirit is dwelling within you, then His Spirit is greater then your mind. When you come to God, it is the Spirit of God that does the changes in you that improves your mind. As we perfect ourselves in Him, it is the love of God that forms our desires, and what we are against. That is why it is important to study His Word, for it is from His Word that His plan is made known to us. In this dispensation, God simply can not be seen, but we can feel the love of God as He works within our lives to perfect us to what His will is for each of us. We know that God is present when we feel His love in our lives. God is Spirit and you can not touch Spirit, but we can know that He is there. I John 4:13 "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit." Again, you can not see that Spirit, but He gives it to each of us when we repent in Jesus name, and come to Him. You will know when the Spirit enters into you because you can feel Him in you. You can feel His love in you. I John 4:14 "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." John could say that because John walked and talked with Jesus Christ, and had seen the power of God in Christ. Jesus taught John in person, and John witnessed many miracles, as well as Lazarus being raised from the dead. John is saying that he can testify that the Father sent Jesus to be the Savior of the world. I John 4:15 "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." Again it can't be seen, but it requires your confession that Jesus is the Son of God, then upon your confession in Christ, God's Holy Spirit dwelleth in you, and you are then in God. Then it can be felt, and you know that you have His Spirit in you. You can not force love on anyone, but it must come from the intellect of your soul. That is why you must tell the Father that you love Him, for when you do, God's love comes for instantly to you. I John 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." We know God's love in this dispensation simply because we believed in the love that God had for us. God has been seen in other dispensation, but today we know and take God's love by faith. The only way to feel God's presence now is by the love of God through the Spirit that dwelleth in us. I John 4:17 "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world." If He is in us, and we are in Him, His Spirit will make us perfect. Our strength is in our advocate, Christ, and in the day of Judgment we can have boldness, because our sins are taken from us by the blood of Christ. You will fall short, even daily, but that is what we repent daily for those things we do in the flesh. It is Christ blood that makes us perfect before the Father at judgment. I John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." If you trust God, and recognize His power, then perfect love will drive out all fear, and you know that we have the victory in Him. Friend, fear shows weakness of faith. Fear shows that you really don't believe that God can protect you from the enemy. I John 4:19 "We love Him, because He first loved us." This means that before the foundations of this earth age, God created us and loved a of His children. Because He loved you, He set in motion a plan for your salvation. I John 4:20 "If a man say, "I love God," and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God Whom he hath not seen?" You can visually see another flesh body, if you cannot love one that you can see that is of God, How can you love on that you can not see. Love that is natural is of our Father, and when our brother has God's love in them, there is no reason to hate him. I John 4:21 "And this commandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother also." This commandment is from the Father. That when your brother has God in him, we are to love our brother because God is in Him.
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