James Marshall, the first to discover gold in California in 1848, and the “forty-nine” who followed him, used the term eureka, which means “I have found it.” Other would-be prospectors quickly learned that not everything that appeared to be gold actually was. Riverbeds and rock quarries may be littered with gold flecks, however they are worthless. This “fool’s gold” was iron pyrite, and the miners had to be careful to distinguish it from the real thing. His very livelihood depended on it. Experienced miners could usually tell pyrite from gold simply by looking at it. But, in some cases, the distinction was not so clear. So, they developed tests to discern what was genuine from what was not. One test consisted of biting the rock in question. Real gold is softer than the human tooth, while fool’s gold is harder. A second test involved scraping the rock onto a piece of white stone, like pottery. Real gold leaves behind a yellow streak, while the residue fool’s gold leaves behind is greenish-black. In any case, a miner relied on the evidence to authenticate his finds: both his fortune and his future depended on the results.
Spiritually speaking, Christians often find themselves in a similar position to California gold prospectors. mid-1800s. When faced with various religious doctrines and teachings, all of which claim to be true, believers must be able to distinguish those that are biblically sound from those that are not. As with the gold rush, just because something shines doesn’t mean it’s good. Christians should be equally wary of spiritual “fool’s gold.” You should not accept something as true without first testing it to see if it meets God’s approval. If it doesn’t pass the test, Christians should dismiss it as fake and warn others as well. But if it passes the test, according to the truth of God’s Word, believers can wholeheartedly embrace and endorse it.
If they fail to discern, Christians will not only be confused and unable to discern for themselves, but they will also be unable to accurately convey the truth to others. Therefore, they must guard the truth (1 Tim. 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; Jude 3; cf. Acts 20:28; Prov. 23:23) by knowing it, holding fast to it as conviction (cf. Lk 1,4; Jn 8,32; 19,35; 1 Tm 2,4; 2 Tm 2,15), and distinguishing it from the false (cf. Phil. 3:2; Col. 2: 8). Being faithful to sound doctrine, they will also be able to teach others (cf. 2 Tm 2, 2). But discernment only comes with practice. Discernment requires thinking. Only those Christians who know their Bible and can think critically will be able to recognize false teachers and their teachings. This cannot happen without personal study of the Scriptures (Derickson, GW (2012). First, Second, and Third John. (HW House, WH Harris III, & AW Pitts, Eds.) (1 Jn 4:6). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.).
The apostle John knew that his readers were being attacked by false teachers. As a safeguard, he 1) commanded them to test those who claim to teach the truth (1 John 4:1a). He gave them 2) reasons why such tests are crucial (1 John 4:1b), and 3) guidelines on how they should be carried out (1 John 4:2-6). In doing so, he presented a strategy that all Christians can use to distinguish between true spiritual riches and doctrinal “fool’s” gold. California gold prospectors would shout “Eureka!” only when they found real gold. When it comes to spiritual things, Christians must be careful to do the same.
1) A command to test (1 John 4:1a)
1 John 4:1a Beloved, do not believe every spirit, (but try the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world) (KJV)
Having discussed the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit on true believers (3:24), John transitions to the work of evil spirits on false teachers and their false teachings. Because these ancient supernatural spirits are experts at deception, Christians must be careful to closely examine every spiritual message they come across (cf. Matt. 10:16; 1 Thess. 5:21 & 22). John is not referring here to demon possession, but to teachers who promote error (Radmacher, ED, Allen, RB, & House, HW (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (1 Jn 4:1 Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers.)
See 1 Thessalonians 5 (p.988)
The imperative form of the verb to believe, with the negative particle no, could be literally translated “stop believing.” John’s phrase indicates the prohibition of an action that is already underway. If any of his readers uncritically accepted the false teachers’ message, he was to stop immediately. They needed to exercise biblical discernment, like the Bereans of whom Luke wrote: “Now these were nobler than the Thessalonian, for they received the word with great earnestness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things then were” (Acts 17 :eleven).
1 Thessalonians 5:12–22 12 We beseech you, brothers, to respect those who work among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to hold them in high esteem in love because of their work. Be at peace with each other. 14 And we beseech you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always try to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but try everything; retain what is good. 22 Abstain from all forms of evil. (IS V)
• You will notice that believers are to respect (v.12) and esteem (v.13) those they instruct. Even if a false teacher is determined, we are not to return evil for evil (v.15), but by doing good, we announce the truth to them. We must be in prayer (v.17) so as not to fall into error and discern the truth. To determine genuine truth, we must test what we read and hear (v21). The evidence presumably includes the prophecy’s conformity to authoritative revelation, its edifying value, and its evaluation by those with spiritual discernment (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2311). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Unbelievers, “darkened in their understanding” (Ephesians 4:18), have no basis on which to evaluate various teachings that claim divine origin (1 Corinthians 2:14). Consequently, they are very susceptible to aberrational doctrine and can easily be led into error. But believers, who have the Word of truth and the Spirit of truth, must test what they hear with what they know to be true, as revealed in the Scriptures (1 Thess. 5:21 & 22).
Illustration: John Norstad, a systems engineer and computer guru at Northwestern University, once discovered the origin of many computer viruses. He went to a conference in Europe in 1992 and met most of my colleagues in the PC antiviral community. A colleague was a Bulgarian who told us about the Bulgarian virus writing factory. Evidently, during the communist heyday, the KGB trained and paid PC programmers to break Western copy protection schemes. It was an official hacking program. Then, when the government fell in Bulgaria, all these people were out of work and bitter. So they formed virus making clubs and started infecting the PC community all over the world. A significant percentage of the computer viruses came from a group of disgruntled hackers who had previously worked for the communists.
Computer viruses are a lot like false teachings about God and morality: they destroy what is valuable. Many of these false teachings come from a group of evil spirits called demons. They intentionally inject error into the world to deceive and destroy people (Larson, CB (2002). 750 Attractive Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Writers (pp. 163-164). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
2) A reason to try
1 John 4:1b (Beloved, believe not every spirit), but test the spirits whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (IS V)
The translated term test is a present imperative form of the verb dokimazō. The term was used to refer to the analysis of metals by a metallurgist to test their purity and value. John’s use of the present tense indicates that believers must continually test the spirits to see if they are from God. Contrary to the opinion of some, this injunction has nothing to do with personally confronting demons or performing exorcisms. Instead, Christians must continually evaluate what they see, hear (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21), and read to determine whether it originated from the Spirit of God or, alternatively, from demons. True prophets receive direct revelation from God and communicate it accurately. Thus, the proofs of Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20-22 still apply today. False prophets claim to receive revelation. However, his predictions are not fulfilled and his instruction is contrary to the revelation and will of God. (Derickson, GW (2012). First, Second, and Third John. (HW House, WH Harris III, & AW Pitts, Eds.) (1 Jn 4:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)
The only reliable way to test any teaching is to compare it to what God has revealed in His written, infallible Word (Isa. 8:20; cf. Prov. 6:23; 2 Tim. 3:16–). ;17). As the perfect standard of truth (John 17:17) and the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), the Word of God provides believers with their primary defense against error (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3–5). ; Hebrews 4:12).
Please refer to Matthew 7 (p.812)
The urgency of John’s mandate lies in the fact that not a few but many false prophets have gone out into the world. Satan not only wants to oppose the church (cf. Acts 5:3; 13:8-10; 16:16-23; 1 Thess. 2:18); he wants to deceive her (cf. 2 Cor 11, 14). In accordance with his fraudulent schemes, his minions have infiltrated denominations, churches, and other Christian schools, institutions, and organizations, resulting in compromise and error (cf. Jude 4). In saying that these people ‘have gone out into the world’ the author alludes not only to the fact that they had separated from their community, but also to their affinity with the unbelieving world (Kruse, CG (2000). The Letters of John ( 145. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: WB Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.).
For this reason, Jesus himself warned of false prophets:
Matt. 7:15–20 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will recognize them….