1 John 4:1

Memory Verse

Beloved, stop believing every spirit, but test for approval the spirit if it is out from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

This type of testing is seeking what is good. Many come claiming to be Christians who bring in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1). Those who teach another Jesus, such as the Mormons, or receive another spirit, such as the Pentecostal and Charismatics, are often permitted to continue influencing Christians because it has become taboo to question a person’s salvation as though it is a personal truth that only needs a verbal confession as proof (2 Corinthians 11:4). This makes it very easy for Satan to sow his tares among the saints. Therefore, it is necessary to test for approval those who claim to come from God.

We are all to be ready to give a defense for the hope that we have with objectivity of mind and respect (1 Peter 3:15). A tare can only be identified twice in its life: at birth and in fruit. What a person bases their salvation on is important. There is only one foundation for salvation, and that is based upon the belief that Christ died on behalf of our sins and was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Any other gospel, including repentance of sins, making Jesus the Lord of your life, and accepting Jesus into your heart, is false and built upon a foundation that does not exist.