Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (I John 4:1, 5-6)
How timely is this scripture for today. There's a spirituality movement in the world that teaches that all paths lead to God, that Jesus Christ is not the only way to God. This movement also teaches that we don't have to believe everything in the Word of God, that there are errors and the Word is only to be used to help us have christ-consciousness, whatever that means. This movement also teaches that God made us the way we are, and that we don't have to change, even if the lifestyle we are living clearly goes against the Word of God. We're going to deal with these three issues directly from the Word of God.
First, God tells us, through the hand of the Apostle John, By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. (I John 4:2-3) And what did Jesus come in the flesh to do? Jesus answered that questions definitively for His disciples, before He was arrested and crucified: But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. (John 12:23-26)
"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (John 12:27-33)
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:11-15)
God sent Jesus to die, for our sins! John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God [sacrifice from God] who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) Then God spoke from heaven after John the baptist baptised Jesus and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5) Jesus is very clear about who He came from and where He gets His instruction from: For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” (John 12:49-50) With that being said, then we should believe Him when He also says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14:6, 9-11)
Secondly, as for the Word of God and whether we should believe all of it or not, God was very clear from the beginning when He gave His Word to man: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32) God was clear throughout the scriptures, when He reiterated this truth repeatedly: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. (Psalm 19: 7-9)
Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6) And God makes a final declaration that we are not to change anything written in His Word in the last book of the scripture also: to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelations 22:18-19)
Jesus confirmed the validity of the Word of God (From A-Z, Genesis to Revelations), and He adds, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot [dot of the i] or one tittle [cross of the t] will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)
Lastly, God knew we couldn't obey His commandments perfectly, that why He sent His Son, to fulfill all of His requirements of the law. But God does not excuse us from the responsibility of our sin. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Romans 10:9]. (Romans 5:20-21 NLT)
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [Acts 2:38-39] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:1-11 NLT)
God has made it very clear that we have to believe the Word of God, in Christ Jesus His Only Begotten Son (John 1), in order to be saved. We have to believe the Word of God in its entirety, not picking and choosing what we will believe and what we won't: And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed [obey] ...; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:19-21)
And we have to allow His Holy Spirit to make us into the person God created us to be, not for Him to accept us the way we want to be, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting [changing] the soul - we have to change, NOT GOD! “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. (John 15:26) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; (Acts 1:8) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (I John 4:4) AMEN!
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