Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. 4 You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.
The letter, ascribed to John the Apostle, was addressed to a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians who were facing challenges from false teachings and ideologies that threatened to undermine their faith and disrupt the unity of their community. John provides guidance, encouragement, and exhortation to remain steadfast in their devotion to Christ and in their love for one another.
John addresses his audience affectionately as “beloved” and warns them against accepting every spiritual claim, such as prophetic utterances, teachings, and ideologies, without testing them because not all spiritual claims are aligned with God’s truth (1 Thes. 5:21). They must critically evaluate spiritual influences against the standard of truth, which is grounded in God’s revelation through Christ, because false prophets can lead them astray (Mt. 24:24). The criterion for discerning the Spirit of God is the incarnation of Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14). Not affirming that Jesus Christ came in the flesh indicates alignment with the spirit of the antichrist which is already present in the world.
John reminds them that they are children of God and that the Holy Spirit dwells in them which empowers them to overcome false teaching and the spirit of the antichrist. Believers belong to God, but the teachings of false prophets are aligned with worldly values and ideologies (Jn. 17:14-16). All who truly know God accept the Divine truths handed down by the Apostles, but those who reject the teachings of the Apostles are aligned with the spirit of deceit.
Almighty God, grant us discerning hearts and minds, that we may test every spirit against the truth of your Word. Help us to recognize the Spirit of God and reject the spirit of deceit. May we abide in you, knowing that your Spirit within strengthens us so that we can overcome anything that tries to turn us away from you. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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