(1 John 4:1-6)

I. The challenge: trust, but verify (1 John 4:1)

A. Stop believing every spirit
B. Test the spirits (Acts 17:11)
C. Many false prophets (Galatians 1:6-9)

II. The context: a specific false doctrine (1 John 4:2-3)

A. Gnosticism stated the divine Christ did not actually inhabit a fleshly body
B. The spirit of antichrist
1. Disobedient (1 John 2:19)
2. Deniers (1 John 2:22)
3. Deceivers (1 John 2:26)

C. If a teaching does not originate with God, it must be rejected by the faithful

III. The contrast: truth vs. error (1 John 4:4-6)

A. His readers had overcome (Jude 3; Romans 10:17)
B. The false prophets are of the world (2 Timothy 4:2-4; Matthew 7:13-14)
C. The apostles are of God (Acts 2:42; 2 John 9-11)