All creatures of our God and king
Lead me, Lord, in thy righteousness
I sing the mighty power of God
In sweet communion, Lord, with thee
Holy Spirit, truth divine
Christ is the world's redeemer
(1 John 4:1-6 ESV)
This passage teaches us that behind every teacher there is a spirit.
There are two spirits
. One of God
. One of the world, that is the anti-christ
We are told explicitly that we are to test the spirits to see if they are from God.
Be on guard, false teachers will abound, some who will perform signs and wonders, use scripture and all kinds of seemingly good things. Be aware, they are here and more will come.
So examine carefully what others teach.
Do not believe all they say unless you test them.
Test them
. See how they look at Jesus
. Jesus is the one who has come and will come.
. Jesus is from God
. Jesus came in the flesh
Those who reject this teaching are against Christ. They are the anti-Christ.
What is considered most important?
Does what they teach fit with what the Bible says, what Christ says?
False teachers teach what fits with the world, rejecting much what is found in the bible.
If a "christian" teacher rejects part of the bible or one of the bible teachers/writers you know they are not truly of God.
Truly examine what a person teaches. Does it fit well with the bible?
Don't listen to them if they don't teach after God's will or way.
Watch the content...the test is one of truth, not one of style or methodology.
It seems like an overwhelming task.
But it is a necessary task.
Know that God will help you and keep aware.
He guides, directs and helps you.
He gives us eternal life.
He gives us security, no one can snatch us from the Lord's hand.
Jesus does say don't judge, but to judge rightly.
Don't judge by feelings, personal standards, or by what the world says. Judge only by what the bible says, by what the Lord says.
Nothing more.