1 John 4:1-6 – 6/30/2026
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1 (NRSVue)
One of the distinctive features of the New Testament writings that bear John’s name is an emphasis on God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell in the followers of Jesus, guiding them, strengthening them, and inspiring them of the truths of the Gospel. The Spirit is God’s presence for disciples of Jesus after Jesus has left. Instead of the presence of God in the flesh, we have the presence of the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Just after reminding his readers of this gift of the Spirit’s presence, the author reminds them that not every spirit is from God, “For many false prophets have gone out into the world.” It is important that we test spirits to make sure what we receive by way of knowledge, instruction, wisdom, and guidance really is good and not something that looks good and looks like it’s from God but is really leading us astray.
This is the crux of one of the main difficulties of the Christian life, how to know what in our conscience, our intellect, and our way of understanding the world is really and truly holy and directed at the good of others and the will of God. Discerning what is truly good in ourselves and among others is of vital importance since there is so much disagreement about what constitutes faithful following of God and what does not. Christianity is divided with many calling others unfaithful and vice versa. The disagreements run deep. Should we advocate for access to social goods for all, or is that godless communism? Are queer and same-sex marriages and romantic relationships just as legitimate as straight ones? Is war wrong? Is it acceptable to profit off another’s need for shelter simply by owning property? The list of fundamental ethical differences between Christians is immense.
There is broad disagreement among Christians on these and many other pressing moral and church governance issues so that what it is to faithfully follow Jesus looks quite different depending on who one asks. Discerning who is correct, which spirits are the Spirit and which are leading people astray, is of vital importance since they affect how we relate to and treat just about everyone we encounter, especially the marginalized. The author of 1 John’s solution, on the surface, doesn’t look like it will help at all.
Fir 1 John, Testing spirits is simply noticing which spirits confess Jesus in the flesh; these are truly from God. Those that will not confess the same are anti-Christ spirits that will lead the faithful astray. As I have already pointed out, there is so much radical disagreement among Christians about what following Jesus amounts to that the test that 1 John offers is not sufficient. How then are we to know whom to follow and how to live?
Christianity is not a solo religion; it always involves living life in community with others. “Discerning spirits” is so important, in part, because we need to know who to break bread with, in a fellowship of mutual love and working side by side. In a society where some Christians say that queers should die and the US should invade other countries for their territory and where other Christians say that peace should rule and everyone should have access to what they need to survive, it is not enough to proclaim that one follows Christ who came in the flesh to know whether they are full of the true Spirit of God’s goodness.
1 John’s test won’t work and neither will appeals to Scripture as if it were an encyclopedia of what is true. Christians disagree not only because there are spirits and prophets that are not from God but also because Scripture does not speak in a unified voice and admits of a multitude of legitimate interpretations. Anyone who claims that Scripture is clear either has not read Scripture honestly or is being dishonest with you. But the question of how to live is still pressing. What is to be done? How shall we live? These fundamental questions weigh on us, and we must trust that we are following truth and he Spirit of God and not being led to do the opposite of what is right and just and good.
1 John was wrong about testing spirits; it’s not enough to confess that Jesus came in the flesh to get it right because so many sincere Christians have gotten it so wrong. That is why independent, critical thought is so radically important for anyone trying to live well. Ultimately after all the appeals to Scripture, to being the one True Church, and to simply shouting “This is right; this is God’s will.” each of us still has to make a decision of how to live. For myself and what I recommend to others is to return to the Greatest Commandments to love and go from there, but even then, we can get it wrong; we can mistake hurtful action for loving and harm when we are trying to help. We can never escape responsibility even as we trust that we are forgiven when we err.
Discerning spirits is the existential moment for the Christian, and it can describe the pivotal existential moment in everyone’s life. Each of us is confronted by the question of how to live and what to do. We cannot evade it. Pretending the answer is simple or simply a matter of reading the Bible or going to the right church will not do. The weight of choice is on each of us, and yet we are freed by grace in knowing that everything is not up to us, so we can choose knowing that our fate and the fate of the world do not rest on our shoulders. Here we have a hint at why the burden of following Jesus is light for the Christian, but that is a reflection for another lectionary reading .
Reflections of a Dionysian Lutheran, comments on the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary by Justin Marquis
Dionysus on a Bike 
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