A Sin unto Death

“…There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” (I John 5:16b-17)

John is speaking of physical death, not spiritual death. He is not saying that every sin will bring death, and neither is he saying that every death is a result of the sins of the individual.

In the first church at Jerusalem there was a couple named Ananias and Sapphira who lied, pretending to have brought the entire sum of the sale of some property to the church. They were not commanded to give any of it but they pretended to bring it all. The key to the charge is in the words of Peter to Ananias: “…Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but unto God.” Ananias was immediately stricken and died. A short time later his wife suffered the same fate. (Acts 5:1-11)

In the church at Corinth they had made a drunken brawl out of the Lord’s Supper and many had died as a result. (I Corinthians 11:23-30)

The Bible says that whom the Lord loves He chastens. He chastens His children but He does not chasten the devil’s children any more than you chasten the neighbor’s children. When He chastens one of His own it is intended to result in correction. When one of His children refuses correction God have may have no other choice than to take the offender on home so he does not disgrace the church or Jesus, God’s Son.

A Sin not unto Death

“If any man sees his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…” (I John 5:16)

We all know people who sin. The Bible instructs us: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)  When someone is overtaken in a fault we are to “set a break” as in setting a broken bone in a neighbor’s arm or leg. We certainly are not to push them down further, perhaps causing there to be more broken bones.

Since our finite minds may not be able to distinguish between a sin not unto death and a sin unto death, the best for us to do is to pray for all those have been caught up in Satan’s web of temptation and sin.

More about the “Sin unto death” next time.

God Answers Prayer

“And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”(I John 5:15)

We must pray in the will of God. In Gethsemane, just before the cross, Jesus prayed, “Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:32)  And we also must know the will of God to pray in the will of God.

Are we praying selfishly? The psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalm 66:18)

Seek God’s will, live in His will, pray in His will and expect prayers prayed in His will to be answered according to His will.

Confidence in Prayer

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.” (I John 5:14)

Paul the Apostle prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, might be removed. God replied, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect through weakness.” (II Corinthians 12:8-9)

So, was Paul not a good Christian? He was one of the best Christians who ever lived. The fact is, God knew what was good for Paul much better than Paul did. The same is true for you and me. God is not promising us a fine new car, or a house with five bed rooms and five baths and maybe a nice fishing boat.

We believers have the confidence in Him to ask and we have the promise that He will hear us and grant to us what He knows is best for us. Earthly parents hear the requests of their children but even earthly parents know better than their children that the children's request may not be what they need or what is best for them. How much more so does our heavenly Father know what is best for you and me, His children?

Assurance of the Right Road Home

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13)

I was on “Interstate 71” near Columbus, Ohio going south to my home in Kentucky after being in a week of revival near Lake Erie. Having driven several miles without seeing a road sign, the first sign that read “I-71 South” was a welcome assurance that I was on the right road home.

John tells us that he has written this first epistle to all who believe in the name of the Son of God that we might have assurance that we are on the right road home. How tragic to be trusting a hoax and not realize it before it’s too late. Also, how tragic to be on the right road and some cultist or Gnostic tries to convince you that you are on the wrong road. And what comfort to read in God’s word that Jesus, the Son of God is the correct road home.

First John is an inspired word from the Lord to all believers whose faith is in Jesus, the Son of God, that we can know we have the gift of eternal life.

God has Given us Eternal Life

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
(I John 5:11-12)

A preacher friend gave the best illustration of the truth contained in these two verses that I have ever seen. He placed his open Bible in one hand and his ball point pen in the other. He then said, “My Bible represents the Son of God and this pen represents eternal life.” He then placed his pen in the open Bible and closed it on the pen. Then my friend said, “If you want eternal life it is in the Son of God. Then he laid the Bible down, with the pen inside and quoted I John 5:12. Then he asked those around him, “How could one receive my pen?” They answered, “By picking up the Bible.” His next question was, “How does one receive eternal life?” they responded, “By receiving the Son of God.” My friend asked, “Will you receive the Son of God and have eternal life?”

So, I will ask you, “Have you received eternal life by receiving the Son of God?”

God is not a Liar

“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.” (I John 5:10)

One of the greatest insults that can be made toward someone is to call him a liar. It is sometimes phrased, “I can’t believe anything you say.”

If we cannot believe God in one point how can we be sure we can believe Him on anything else? God declares Jesus to be His Son and to be the only way of salvation. To disagree with God at this point is to call Him a liar.

The witness of the Holy Spirit within the believer, plus the changes Christ makes in one’s life bear testimony to the believer that Jesus is who God says He is.

In the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.” (I John 5:9)

The word, “If,” in our text is not an expression of doubt. It is rather, “Seeing that this is so.” We do receive the witness of men but the witness of God is greater.

Atheistic evolutionists have spoken in favor of evolution for many years, pretending it is science. However, it is not scientific. To be scientific the scientist must be present to observe it. Many people are swallowing the theory of evolution “hook, line and sinker.”

The witness of God is greater than all the scientific journals put together. God’s word gives nothing of evolution. His witness is Biblical Creation. I for one believe God’s witness.

Jesus said, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses may every word be established.” (Matthew 18:16) God has given His witness concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. God said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Threefold Witness on Earth

“And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the water and the blood. (I John 5:8)

Not only are there three witnesses in heaven that bear witness as to the person of Jesus, there are three who bear witness on earth.

First, there is the witness of the Holy Spirit. At Jesus’ baptism the Spirit like a dove descended on Him and a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17)  For the Christian, "His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16)

Second, we go back to the Jordan River to His baptism and see Him give a graphic picture of His coming death, burial and resurrection. When we are baptized, symbolically we are buried with Him in the waters of baptism and raised to walk in newness of life. The water of baptism is our declaration that we are identifying with Him.

Third, we go to Calvary and see Him as He gives His blood for the remission of sin.  At the Passover meal in the Upper Room observed by the disciples, He spoke of the contents of the cup and said, "This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:28)

Our Record on High

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (I John 5:7)

In the Great Commission, the Lord’s marching orders to the church, we are to make disciples and then to baptize these new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Jesus, the Son, is the Word according to John 1:1-3, 14. In our text we are told, “These three are one.”

These three, Father, Son, or Word, and the Holy Spirit bear record in heaven that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, as Peter proclaimed at Caesarea Philippi.
(Matthew 16:6)

When you and I make the same confession of Jesus that Peter made, the God Head in heaven verifies that confession. Saying or repeating that confession without heart belief and faith is meaningless.

Water and Blood

“This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” 
(I John 5:6)

Gnostics said that Jesus was not a real man, that God would not inhabit a human body because all flesh was sinful. To refute that part of the Gnostic heresy, John goes back to two things. First, there was the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Baptism is a public act, especially in those days. John was baptizing in the Jordan River, a public stream.

Jesus had nothing in His life that would call for repentance. But by His baptism He identified with sinful mankind who would need repentance. His baptism looked ahead to what all baptism represents; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Our baptism looks back to His death, burial and resurrection. Our baptism is a testimony to His salvation.

Second, John the Apostle was there when Jesus died the cruel death of the cross. John remembered the “Precious Blood,” as Peter calls it in his first epistle. John was an eyewitness.

The Gnostics could not refute these two historical facts of Jesus any more than they can be refuted by cults and non-believers today. Beloved, the Jesus of history was real then and He is real today. He saved then and He continues to save today all who believe and trust Him.

Overcomers

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (I John 5:4-5)

We desire to live victoriously but the world continues to make overtures to us. Satan tells us, “The world is where it’s at!” If we want to live a victorious Christian life we must be born again and continue to exercise faith in the Son of God.

It takes strong, continuous faith to believe God has more to offer than has the world. The world has its bright lights, its glitter (not all that glitters is gold), its parties, its fellowship with the world, etc.

Only with faith in Christ, not by trying harder, can you live a victorious Christian life.

His Commandments are not Grievous

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” (I John 5:2-3)

Vance Havner, an evangelist who boldly proclaimed the word of God for seventy-three years, was expounding on John 14:15 which says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Dr. Havner, in his Carolina drawl said, “If you don’t love Him, just forget it.”

Approximately twenty-five times the word, “know” is used in the First Epistle of John. Most often it is used in the context of loving God or loving other believers being an indication of whether or not we are one of His.

It is easy enough to look like a child of God to others on Sunday morning. It is another thing to convince the Father and to convince ourselves.  John said that God’s commandments are not grievous. That applies to the middle of the week as well as Sunday morning.

The Family of God

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him.” (I John 5:1)

We that are in the family of God went through the birthing process known as the “New Birth.” It is the “Second Birth.” Physically, we were born of the flesh to parents in the flesh. In the physical family what a joy to live in the same house, eating at the same table and discussing the same things.

In the family of God we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In the family of God we love one another, we eat at the same spiritual table, feed on the Word of God, enjoy sweet fellowship, share the same Father and will live eternally in the mansion our Lord is preparing for us.

Speaking With a Forked Tongue

“If a man says, ‘I love God,’ and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, ‘That he who loveth God love his brother also.’” 
(I John 4:20-21)

When I was a child I sometimes went to the western movies on Saturday afternoon. Occasionally I see The Lone Ranger and his Indian pal, Tonto. When a “white” man would not keep his word or would tell the same story two different ways in two different places Tonto would say, “White man speak with forked tongue.”

A lot of professing Christians speak with a “forked,” tongue. “Oh, how I love Jesus,” is sung enthusiastically and with tears in one place and hatred for one’s fellow man is spoken in another. James says, “Out of the same mouth precede blessing and cursing.” (James 3:10)

To speak with a “forked tongue” destroys one’s testimony. “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus said.

Boldness and Fear Cannot Co-exist

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us.” 
(I John 4:18-19)

Boldness and fear are opposites. When we claim God’s promises our love is made perfect because God dwells in us. We can have boldness in the day of judgment. On the other hand, if God doesn’t dwell within us we have fear as we face the judgment.

Perfect love has no fear of the judgment. Once we become indwelt by the Holy Spirit His love is made perfect in us. Boldness and fear cannot co-exist. One cannot have boldness and fear at the same time. If one fears the judgment it is because he is not indwelt by the God of love.

When God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross, paying our sin debt, it was because He loved us. We cannot pay Him back but we can express our love for Him in return.

Boldness in the Day of Judgment

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.” (I John 4:17)

Let us not take the present verse out of context. Look at the preceding verse. “…God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” That statement is the perfection or completion of our love.

The Bible says that everyone will stand in judgment, the lost man at the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11-13) and we Christians at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (II Corinthians 5:10) The lost man cannot have boldness in his day of judgment. However, God who is love, dwells in the believer and we will have boldness, not arrogance, not pride; boldness because as He is, so are we in this world. This does not say, “As He was.” “He was” a little baby in Bethlehem. “He was” a scourged, beaten and crucified man. “He was” in a lonely tomb. But He is  alive and “He has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6) “As He is, so are we in this world.” To God be the Glory!!!

The Love of God

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (I John 4:16)

If first Corinthians thirteen is the love chapter of the Bible, then the First Epistle of John is the love book of the Bible. Some form of the word “love” is used forty-six times in this epistle.

John is like an artist who paints with different colors to capture the light on his canvas. John uses love as his paint, giving us the different angles and definitions of love.

In the song, “The Love of God” there is a verse that was found written anonymously, scratched on one of the interior walls of an insane asylum.
                                           
                                                    The Love of God
              “Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the sky of parchment made;
                     Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade:
              To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry;
                     Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.”

Jesus is the Son of God

“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” (I John 4:15)

John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, was in the group of disciples at Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked them, “Whom do men say that I the Son of many am?” And they said, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He saith unto them, “But whom say ye that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16) That confession was the right answer, affirmed by Jesus and revealed to Peter by the Father. John tells us in our text that this confession is the correct answer.

Jesus said that it is not a matter of what others may say. What do you say in answer to the question, “Who say ye that I am?” He is more than a prophet, a teacher, a preacher, miracle worker or a good example for us to follow. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He is the Savior, the only Savior of lost people.

An Eyewitness

“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (I John 4:14)

To combat the Gnostic heresy that Jesus Christ was not the real flesh and blood Son of God, John has given us his eyewitness account of Jesus.

John was one of the Lord’s first disciples. Jesus had called John and his brother James to leave their father and their fishing nets and follow Him. John had been in the inner circle with Peter and James as He healed the sick, raised the dead and was there with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. John and the others had seen Jesus, gazed upon Him, heard Him preach and teach, as John tells us in this epistle, chapter one, verses one and two. John was given the assignment at the cross to take care of Jesus’ mother following the Savior’s death on the cross.

John had written of Jesus in his Gospel and recorded seven miracles of Jesus. John knew Jesus was not the figment of men’s imaginations. The Gnostics, professing themselves to be wise, had become fools.

I am His and He is Mine

“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and he in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.” (I John 4:13)

We have a two way union with God: We dwell in Him, and He dwells in us. How do we know that? It is because He has given us of His Spirit.

In other places in the Bible we are told that God has given us the “earnest” of the Spirit. If you make an offer to someone for a piece of property, say a house and lot, the seller may demand you give him some “earnest” money. It is good faith money, stating that if you back out on your offer he will keep the “earnest” or guarantee.

The Bible says we are “…sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)  We have the assurance that God will keep His promise because He placed His Spirit in us the day we were saved.

If We Love One Another

“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us,” (I John 4:12)

John makes the identical statement in the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse eighteen, concerning no man having seen God at any time. There, John makes an additional statement, “…The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.”

One of the proofs of God dwelling in us is our love for others. When a professing believer loves others God’s love is complete in him. We are recipients of His love and we are to pass that love on to others to complete the cycle. The world will see God in us and know we are Christians by our love.

The Plain Word of God

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (I John 4:11)

Many years ago I had the privilege of frequently hearing Brother Herbert Ashby, a pastor and revival preacher. He preached the Bible as it was to men as they were. He had a unique phrase that he used often after explaining a doctrine such as the second coming of Jesus. He would finish his point and then say, “How plain the Word of God is.”

I want to borrow that phrase from Brother Ashby and use it with our text for today: “How plain the Word of God is.” This verse is so clear, simple and plain even small children can understand it. Read our text again and see if you agree with Brother Ashby.

God Loved Us and Sent His Son

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10)

As John is inspired of the Holy Spirit to write on the subjects of God’s love, man’s love for God and his fellow man, it has been a near exhaustive treatise. I think of an old preacher who was asked about his sermon delivery. He said, “First, I tell them what I am about to tell them. Then I tell them. Then, I tell them what I’ve done told them. That way they won’t forget.”

Jesus is the propitiation, or covering, like the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament.  His blood covers our sins. He is the place of mercy. Someone said, “Give me justice! I want justice.” Someone standing near said, “If God gave you justice you would be eternally doomed in hell. What you need is Mercy, not Justice.” Jesus is our propitiation, our Mercy Seat.

                                     A Personal Note from Brother Jim

I am making an appeal to all my readers for you to be in prayer for Auburn Baptist Church (Auburn, Kentucky), where I am pastor. There are many readers whom I will never see and never meet, but I know there are prayer warriors among you.

Our church enters a series of services this Sunday morning, October 8 and continues through Wednesday evening, October 11. If you live close enough to allow you to attend please do so. If you cannot attend please lift us up to God in your prayers.

Our service times are today at 11:00 a.m. and tonight through Wednesday we will be meeting at 7:00 p.m. All times for services are Central Daylight Time.

Thank You.
Brother Jim

How Much God Loves Us

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (I John 4:9)

God could have just written in the sky, “I love you,” He could have said, “Giving my Son to die on a cross is too much. It’s way beyond expectation.” But, God showed us His love, not with letters in the sky, but with His Son nailed to a cross.

We can say, “I love God,” but never honor His commandments. Or, we might say to a fellow believer, “I love you,” but never help him when he needs it.

The words to the hymn, "I Love Thee," which was written in 1805, are still true today.  They read: 

                “I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, my Lord;
                        I love Thee my Savior, I love Thee, my God:
                  I love Thee, I love Thee, and that Thou dost know;
                        But how much I love Thee my actions will show.”

God is Love

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God; for God is love.” (I John 4:7-8)

Throughout this epistle John is addressing the saved, not the lost. He is giving instruction to believers. He calls them, “beloved,” a word never used in the New Testament for non-believers. With the exception of the Gospels, most of the New Testament is written to believers, giving us instruction on how we are to live and act in the family of God. If we claim to be a Christian we must look in the pages of God’s Word for instruction on how to live.

In this passage we are told to love one another for love is of God. In addition we are told that, “God is love.” He is the source of love.

The True Standard

“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.” (I John 4:6)

The spirit of error is all around. It is difficult to know the difference in the real and the false. I have been told that in Washington, D.C. there is the Bureau of Standards. There is an exact inch, an exact foot, an exact pound, an exact pint, gallon or almost anything that has to do with measurements. The trained teller down at the bank does not need to know what every counterfeit one-hundred dollar bill looks like. She only needs to know what a genuine bill looks like.

The Bible student does not need to know what every cult looks like or what they believe. He only needs to measure all beliefs against the true standard in the Bible.

The Voice of the World

“They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.” (I John 4:5)

Someone has said, “The world likes the sound of its own voice.” The false prophets and the world are in perfect unison. They are in harmony with anyone who is not in harmony with the Lord. “Can two walk together, except they are agreed?” asked the prophet, Amos. (Amos 3:3) The world is in lock-step with itself.

It behooves the followers of Christ to be in harmony with one another. I have discovered that those who are in harmony with the Lord find it much easier to be in harmony with fellow believers than if they are not in harmony with God. To have harmony with the Lord we must first walk with the Lord, as “Enoch walked with God.” (Genesis 5:24)

Victorious Living

“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.” (I John 4:4)

The Bible makes it clear that we Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside from the moment we invite Jesus in and trust Him. Jesus said, “…He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. (John 14:17)  The Bible says, “…if so be that the spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His.” (Romans 8:9)

We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled means to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. Just think: Satan is a defeated foe when he comes against us. He will fight against us and give us all kinds of temptations and problems. But remember, “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” This is called, “Victorious Living.”

The Spirit of Antichrist

"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."  (I John 4:2-3)

The Gnostics believed that flesh was evil and that God would not inhabit flesh, as in the statement, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (I John 1:14)  God inhabiting flesh was contrary to their belief system.

Many of the teachings and doctrines of the Christian faith are an affront to the cults. The Christian faith teaches the Biblical truths of the manhood of Jesus, His deity, and His substitutionary death for mankind but these truths are not accepted by people misled by the cults.  They are antichrist in their beliefs.

Pray for these thousands of people caught in the web of false teachings and direct them in the study of the Bible. 

Test 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.” (I John 4:1)

Don’t be gullible. Not every building with the word, “church,” over the door houses a legitimate church. Did you know there are some so called churches who teach, “It doesn’t matter what you believe just so you believe something and are sincere.” Some are led by pastors who do not believe in the virgin birth of the Son of God. Others deny the necessity of the blood atonement.  Some say we are saved by trying harder. Some do not believe in the inspiration of Scripture and on and on it goes.

We are to test the spirits against the Word of God. The Bible says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…” (II Timothy 3:6)

Test the spirits. There are many false prophets in the world, the Bible says. Be on guard. Some of these false prophets mix in enough truth to make their teaching sound good. Test the spirits.