John was confronted with false prophets who were teaching error concerning the Incarnation of Christ. Because of this, in 1 John 4, he exhorted the church to tests the spirits. They could test the spirits by evaluating what teachers were saying about the Incarnate Christ and by observing who was listening to them.
Today, the church encounters many errors. As in the days of John, we must always rely on the basic truths of God’s Word. The Word of God is our surest guide to the truth. Those who conform to God’s Word belong to God; those that conform to the world do not.
This Wednesday we will continue our study of 1 John by looking at 1 John 4:1-6.