Today's Reading:
Isaiah 43:14-45:10
1 John 4:1-21
Psalm 145:14-21
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: 1 John 4:1-3; 14-15
1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out
into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from
God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is
coming and even now is already in the world. - - - 14 And we have seen
and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the
world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives
in him and he in God.
Insight:
Just
as we saw warnings from Peter and Jude regarding faith and sound
doctrine, we now see the Apostle John telling Christians to be careful
to not believe just anyone. He urges them to "test the spirits" and to
remember that there are many false teachers in the world.
John
gave them some important truths about Jesus they should look for as
they exercised discernment. First, sound doctrine acknowledges that
Jesus is from God. Secondly, sound doctrine acknowledges that Jesus is
God incarnate—actually human, actually flesh and blood. Third, sound
doctrine acknowledges that Jesus is actually the Son of God—actually
divine.
Response and Action:
I
need to be careful to not believe just anyone who claims to be teaching
from the Bible or claims to be a “Christian” teacher. I need to study
the Bible carefully for myself in order to have first-hand knowledge of
the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. I will reject teaching that
fails to recognize the importance of the incarnation and the humanity of
Jesus. I will reject teaching that fails to acknowledge the deity of
Jesus.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only
son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, who for us and for our
salvation came down from heaven and by the power of the Holy Spirit
became incarnate from the virgin Mary.
Show
me your ways, O Lord. Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are
God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long. I pray through
Jesus, the son of God and the son of man, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God today and for all eternity. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs 30:4
4 Who
has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in
the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who
has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the
name of his son? Tell me if you know!
Resources:
Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels
by Darrell L. Bock
No comments:
Post a Comment