Bible For Foreigners

Spirit of Truth Vs. Spirit of Error

Should we disagree with a minister or a portion of his teaching,

we shouldn’t immediately call him a false prophet, but seek

the Lord as to what is truth and what is error. He could have 95%

truth and 5% error and still be a man of God. We shouldn’t label

people false simply because we disagree, but should seek the Lord

as to what is truth. Yet, on the other hand, we shouldn’t accept

everything we hear as being the truth just because we admire or

respect a man or woman. I John 4:1-8 gives us a guideline as to

how to test or prove the spirits:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits

whether they are of God: because many false prophets are

gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:

Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the

flesh is of God: 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. 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. They are of the world:

therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

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. Beloved let us love one another: for

love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and

knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God

is love.

The Lord tells us through John that anyone confessing that

Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of the Lord. This obviously

doesn’t mean that simply because a person is able to speak those

words that he must be free of any false spirit. This has a much

deeper meaning. Any religious doctrine that denies that Jesus came

in the flesh is false. Those doctrines that deny that Jesus was born

of a virgin are false and are ruled by the spirit of antichrist. Those

groups who deny that Jesus is bodily coming again in the flesh are

false. If they say, “He has already come, He came in the spirit,”

they are false because He is coming again in a physical body of

flesh. The Word of God says He will come again in like manner as

He left. (Acts 1:11 says, Which also said, Ye men of Galilee,

why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which

is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner

as ye have seen him go into heaven.)

Those that deny His humanity, stressing only His deity, teach

a false doctrine also. Jesus was totally man as well as totally God.

The natural mind cannot comprehend this, but with the Holy Spirit

we can understand and believe this. I Timothy 2:5 says, For there

is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man

Christ Jesus, while John 14:10 says this, Believest thou not

that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that

I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that

dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Every true doctrine will

declare Christ’s divinity as well as his humanity.

The other true doctrine that involves Jesus coming in the

flesh is the fact that those who now believe in Christ and are “born

again” have the Lord dwelling within their flesh. We can be baptized

and filled with the Holy Spirit and have Jesus within us because

of what He did on Calvary for us. We simply come to Him

believing, repenting and asking Him to come and dwell in our

hearts, and He performs that glorious miracle of the “new birth.”

The “new birth” which took place in Mary’s womb when she con9

ceived of the holy child Jesus can now be repeated. Instead of

coming in the physical, in the womb, He comes spiritually in our

hearts and we experience a “new birth.” Old things are passed

away and all things are made new. What a miracle that the God of

the universe has chosen to come and dwell in us. The victory that

Jesus obtained over death and the grave has made available to us

the power of the Holy Spirit. We can live filled with that power

every day!