An Incarnational, Missional People
“Becoming Discerning & Wise”
1 John 4:1-6
How do you feel about tests? Some people like tests and the challenge of proving themselves or showing what they know. Most of us don’t like tests for the fear of looking foolish or ignorant.
Recently a college professor saw something in a test that he had never seen in his 20 years of teaching. After giving a test with 100 questions, a student named Michael marked and turned in the test having answered every question with the letter “C”. Of course it was an example of a student that was not prepared who was hoping to get at least 25% correct on a multiple choice exam.
However, the test was not multiple choice but True/False! His professor sent him an e-mail the following day.
Dear Michael,
Every year I attempt to boost my students’ final grades by giving them this relatively simple exam consisting of 100 True/False questions from only 3 chapters of material. For the past 20 years that I have taught Intro Communications 101 at this institution I have never once seen someone score below a 65 on this exam. Consequently, your score of a zero is the first in history and ultimately brought the entire class average down a whole 8 points.
There were two possible answer choices: A (True) and B (False). You chose C for all 100 questions in an obvious attempt to get lucky with a least a quarter of the answers. It’s as if you didn’t look at a single question. Unfortunately, this brings your final grade in this class to failing. See you next year!
May God have mercy on your soul.
Sincerely,
Professor William Turner
P.S. If all else fails, go with B from now on. B is the new C
(found at http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1730017)
Blindly filling in a test is a sure way to fail a Communications class and it will cause you to fail at following God.
The professor was not playing a game with his students. He was not being coy or clever. The professor was seeking to help his students pass his course. No doubt thousands of students have passed his Communications class over 20 years.
Likewise God does not play guessing games with us. God is clear and consistent about who He is and what He purposes to do in this world and in our lives. Because God is a Person and chooses to relate to us personally, the basis upon which we live with God well is like any other relationship. We must become proficient at communication.
If you approach your marriage or your parenting like a multiple choice exam for which you’ll guess at many of the answers those relationships will be a mess.
Who is God? What is God like? What is God doing? How is one made right with God? These are just some of the basic and fundamental questions for which you need solid answers.
As we’ve been studying the First Epistle of John we’ve discovered that one is born into God’s family. And, we’ve discovered that when one is born of God one lives like God. Our lifestyle is characterized by righteousness or right living. Like God, we love others well. Conversely, if righteousness and love are not our lifestyle then we have not been born of God.
Let’s be honest, a lot of people will tell you that there is much more to establishing relationship with God. Some contend that in order to have relationship with God you must be baptized. Some say you must receive the Lord’s Supper. Others hold up confirmation or performing acts of penance.
In other words some religious leaders claim that you must engage in various sacraments in order to be saved while others teach that you are saved by grace alone. Who’s right? How do you know?
Today we’ll hear John exhort the members of his church that they must become discerning and wise Christ followers. It is a message that each of us needs as well.
[read 1 John 4:1-6]
“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” (4:1)
In this first century church John had some of his church members begin to believe some popular heresies or false teachings. As a result they left the church. It seems though that they maintained relationship with some of the church members and were seeking to influence others to accept the same heresies. John exhorts, “You can’t accept everything that you hear. You must test what you hear. You must be discerning so that you recognize the truth and the falsehood.”
John said to “test the spirits”. John reveals to us that every teaching, every philosophy, and every theology is driven by a spirit. That which is of God is inspired by the Spirit of God. That which is not of God is inspired by the devil.
John sometimes sounds harsh to our 21st century sensibilities. But there was a lot at stake. The eternal destinies of people were in the balance if they believed and followed the wrong message.
What was the message? John said the message inspired by God’s Spirit “acknowledges” (NIV) or “confesses” (NASB) that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This directly addressed one of the heresies that claimed Jesus may have been divine but He wasn’t human. They claimed Jesus only seemed to be human. Because of their preconceived notion that only that which is spirit is important and matter or physical life was unimportant, then Jesus must have been spirit only.
But think about the implications of that one heresy. If Jesus is only spirit then He wasn’t born of a virgin. Jesus wouldn’t have shed blood on the cross and He wouldn’t have resurrected because there was no body to resurrect. That one heretical thought does away with the center pieces of our salvation story. John says that thinking is inspired by the devil and is not of God.
“Acknowledging” or “confessing” Christ is not just a verbal exercise. There has to be a walk that goes with that talk. If someone confesses their belief in the biblical Christ then they will practice righteousness and love others well. There are a lot of false teachers, then and now, they say with their lips they believe in Jesus but don’t back it up with their lives.
What do we do when we believe that we’re encountering error?
First, determine the level of the issue. Second or third tier issues are not worth breaking fellowship.
We may disagree over the mode of baptism. We may disagree over the validity and use of spiritual gifts. We may disagree over worship styles, the role of women or the advisability of engaging our culture. With all of these disagreements we should still be able to relate to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
However, an issue such as the personhood of Christ is core to the gospel and is a first tier matter. John instructs us that if someone doesn’t accept both the humanity and deity of Christ that they are not a believer. It was on this level that John was speaking against the former members of their church whom he now refers to as antichrist and children of the devil.
John says that the heretics at this first level need to be overcome and they will be overcome by you, “because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
So, let me give you the words for these core doctrines:
Christology is the doctrine of Christ.
Soteriology is the doctrine of salvation.
What you believe about who Jesus is and what Jesus does is the core of Christianity.
Second, determine a course of action for the issue. Heresy of the first order must be dealt with quickly and decisively. There can be no tolerance for undermining the Person and work of Christ. It must be overcome.
Additionally there are several issues listed in the scriptures about which we are cautioned. These ideas and practices confuse and distort the ways of God. These deserve rebuke and correction and the attempt to restore the misled.
Falsified Faith
False Worship Mt 15:8-9
False Christs Mt 24:4-5
False Apostles 2 Cor 11:13
False Ministers 2 Cor 11:14
False Gospel Gal. 1:6
False Christians Gal. 2:3
False Miracles 2 Thes 2:7
False Commandments Titus 1:13
False Doctrines Heb 13:9
False Teachers 2 Pet 2:1
Perhaps now the question is stirring in you, “Who is going to point out the errors and heresies?” God has given the church elders and pastors and those with the spiritual gift of discernment. But, it still comes down to every one of us accepting responsibility for growing in Christ sufficiently that we can “test the spirits”; that we grow in discernment and wisdom.
Let me mention how NOT to go about “testing the spirits”.
1. It is not a matter of whether one is SINCERE. People are sincerely wrong all the time.
2. Is it not a matter of whether one is SPIRITUAL. John tells us that all messages are spiritually inspired. Some messages and beliefs are inspired by the devil. I would never darken the door of a fortune teller, palm reader, card reader, star gazer, or open myself up to enlightenment by taking a drug. The wrong spirit will be inspiring whatever message is delivered.
3. It is not a matter of whether one experiences the SUPERNATURAL. Someone may truly engage or experience something supernatural but that doesn’t mean it is of God.
The right tests for determining whether something is of God involve:
1. BIRTH. Was Jesus born into this world and therefore human, flesh and blood?
Are you born of God’s Spirit? If so then that Spirit is inside of you bringing clarity and discernment.
2. BIBLE. Is someone’s words consistent with the teachings of the Bible? God won’t bring new revelation today that will contradict the Scriptures. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.
A woman once said to me, “God told me that so-and-so is my soul mate and that we will marry and do ministry together all the years of our lives.” The only problem was that the man she was referring to was already married. God is not going to give you or anyone else a message that contradicts the Bible. God did not want that man to divorce his wife so that he could be with another woman for a lifetime of ministry.
3. BELIEVING COMMUNITY. Is someone’s words agreed upon by the church to be of God. Elders and pastors and those with the gift of discernment are given to the church to help with this assessment. As I mentioned before all of us are given capacities by God to discern truth. John said, “Those of God recognize the word and way of God.”
Will you accept the responsibility to learn to discern? We live in a culture that doesn’t want to accept responsibility. Our culture wants to lay blame. Thus we have record numbers of attorneys filing record numbers of lawsuits. The lawsuits result in ridiculous “disclaimer statements” by service providers and on products. Consider these--
On a Sears hair dryer: Do not use while sleeping. (I can’t tell you HOW many times I’ve waked up and caught myself sleep-styling!)
On a bag of Frito-Lay’s Potato Chips: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (Evidently, the shoplifter special.)
On a bar of Dial soap: Directions: Use like regular soap. (And that would be how?)
On some Swanson frozen dinners: Serving suggestions: Defrost. (But it’s JUST a suggestion.)
On Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom of box): Do not turn upside down. (Ooops, too late.)
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: Product will be hot after heating. (As night follows the day....)
On packaging for a Rowenta iron: Do not iron clothes on body. (But wouldn’t this save even MORE time?)
On Boot’s Children’s Cough Medicine: Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication. (We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5-year olds with head-colds off the forklifts.)
On Nytol Sleep Aid: Warning: May cause drowsiness. (Hello?!)
On most brands of Christmas lights: For indoor or outdoor use only." (As opposed to where else?)
On a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use." (I gotta admit, I’m curious....)
On Sainsbury’s peanuts: Warning: Contains nuts. (***NEWSFLASH***)
On an American Airlines packet of nuts: Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts. (Step 3: Fly Delta.)
On a child’s Superman costume: Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. (I don’t blame the company, I blame parents for this one.)
On a Swedish chain saw: Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands. (Was there a chance of this happening somewhere?)
On a bottle of Palmolive Dishwashing liquid: Do not use on food. (Hey Mom, we’re out of syrup! It’s OK, honey, just grab the Palmolive!)
On an automobile cardboard windshield sun visor: Remove visor before driving vehicle. (You mean you can’t see with the visor in the windshield? What’s your problem?!)
(Preaching Plus, Len Sweet, "God For Dummies", 7/15/2001)
“We are from God…we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” (4:6)
Conclusion:
Friends, life is a test and the answers are not all “C”. It matters that we are born of God. It matters that we know the Bible and are building our lives upon sound doctrine. This is not a game to be played with. There is a real enemy to our soul who opposes the Person and work of God in us and in this world.
We must engage the conflict. We must overcome. We must see the deceived and the distracted have a clear and compelling opportunity to know Christ.
This is part of what it means to be Incarnational and Missional.
