Verse 1. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” “Believe not every spirit.” Already the Spirit had warned of surrounding evils and dangers — the world, it was not of the Father, nor anything in it, lying itself in the wicked one, and passing away. It was the last hour, as the presence of the antichrists demonstrated; antichrists, liars, and seducers were there; and now another class of evil-doers was mentioned, many false prophets had gone out into the world; evil abounds in the last hour, not yet expired. Many antichrists, many false prophets; the saints, as such, are responsible not to believe, but to try the spirits, and here are some of the tests. In the confession of Jesus Christ come in the flesh, the Spirit of God is recognized, the confessor is of God; the denial of this is the proof that the spirit of the antichrist that should come is already in the world. This is not the world’s rejection and hatred, but special Satanic wickedness and opposition to Christ. Whatever the profession or claims of these persons, the truth as to their state is this — they are not of God, but “of the devil,” and “of the world.” Their teaching is the doctrine of devils, their conversation that of men of the world, to which they belong. It will be remembered that the world lieth in the wicked one, so that giving forth his teachings, and speaking as of the world, of which he is prince, are naturally connected. They are at this moment crowding to the standard of the prince of darkness. The word “development” is constantly on their lips, and the phrase, “The church teaches,” which, in their sense, no one denies. But who teaches the church? Is it such as the Lord set in the church, according to 1 Corinthians 12, or whence do they come? Are there not many who, having departed from the faith, and given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, are now actively engaged in teaching them; subverting the order and truth of God, teaching further for doctrine the commandments of men? The truth of God displaced for doctrines of devils and commandments of men! Can any one read church history, or look around him, and deny that our Lord’s words have the fullest application? (Mark 7:7-97Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:7‑9)). “Howbeit, in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And He said unto them, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Churchmen petitioning church authorities for “relief of conscience,” I think they term it, that they may not be compelled to teach, or appear to teach, what they know is contrary to the truth, but continuing to obey the commandments of men when not “relieved.” The martyrs of old maintained a pure conscience by dying for Him whom they loved. But these false prophets are not to be borne with, but overcome. “Ye are of God, children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” This was not the church teaching, but the church overcoming those who taught falsehoods, and this, not by ecclesiastical authority, but by the power of the Spirit of God, which was greater amongst them than that of Satan in the world. “Thou canst not bear evil men, and thou hast tried them who say that themselves are apostles, and are not, and hast found them to be liars,” said the Lord Jesus, addressing the church at Ephesus; and “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” not “what the churches teach.”
In the New Testament, at any rate, the church is taught, but teaches nothing. “We are of God, he that knows God hears us” — the apostles — hears what they (not the church) taught. “He who is not of God does not hear us,” and from this the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error are known. The false teachers invite us to hear, first, themselves, and then, the church, which, by accrediting them (these false apostles and liars), practically declares that He that is in you is not greater than he that is in the world; that is, that the spirit of Antichrist, is not only in the world already, but in the church also, and greater there than the Spirit of God. But this means that the lamp is gone out, the church fallen, and, having failed in its responsible place as pillar and ground of the truth, must be judged, for judgment begins at the house of God. The Lord marks it that they call themselves apostles, as Jezebel called herself a prophetess. (See Rev. 2, 3; 1 Pet. 4:1717For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)). The church’s teachings, therefore, are to be dreaded rather than received. “I commend you to God,” said the Apostle Paul, “and to the word of His grace”; not “to my successors,” or “to a teaching church.” “He that is of God hears us,” says the Apostle John: “and he who does not hear us is not of God” (not a believer). A rationalist he may be, but certainly an infidel — not of God.
These false teachers are often learned, intellectual, and able men, but “of the world that lies in the wicked one,” and speak (not “about the world,” which is not the thought, but) as themselves of the world, belonging to it — a different thing. And naturally the world hears them, themselves and their hearers are simply of the world; this accounts for their popularity. The tables of the rich and intellectual are covered with their books, but, their words are neither living nor powerful, piercing no conscience, and reaching no heart, they serve the enemy’s purpose as channels of deadly poison. Let us remember that the church itself is under judgment. Oh, if it had been faithful in its position as pillar and ground of the truth (and that was its calling and responsibility on earth, not to teach, but to keep the truth, and hear what the Spirit of God would teach it), from what sorrow and mighty evils it would have been preserved! How great would have been the gain, both for itself and the poor world around! The false prophets, the antichrists, and grievous wolves would have been kept outside, the flock lying down in green pastures, and led by the waters of quietness. But it has failed, like everything else, from the beginning. What, then, is our resource? God, in the fullness of that name — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! He never fails; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and the Holy Ghost abides with us.
The “word of His grace” is only more precious on account of our unfaithfulness. It will be much the same with Israel, the ruin total, discovered in the end by a remnant which passes through deepest trial from within and from without, but reaches the kingdom in the glorious character of “the righteous nation that keepeth the truth.” So it will be in what has been denominated “the church remnant,” the “heart-stirring” cry, “Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him,” arouses from the slumber of ages those who, like the Jewish remnant, had “slept in the dust of the earth.” The character of the faithful ones of the church, at the close, we get in the address to Philadelphia. These also keep the truth, for they do not deny His name (the Holy and True One), and keep His word. The earthly remnant celebrates its strong city, whose walls and bulwarks are salvation, and whose gates open to let them in. Its glory will be great, but not like that of the heavenly overcomer, he belongs to the city of the God of the Lord Jesus, its name is written on him. Not salvation, but divine glory, forms the wall of this city — the holy Jerusalem, which comes out of heaven from God. Nothing that makes a lie shall at all enter into it. “Without are dogs . . . and every one that loves and makes a lie.” The divine glory, symbolized, by the jasper stone, constitutes its light, strength, and security (Rev. 21:11, 18, 1911Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; (Revelation 21:11)
18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; (Revelation 21:18‑19)). What glorious reward for the overcomers in the conflict with wicked spirits in the heavenlies, to receive from Christ Himself — the glorious Overcomer — the “freedom of the city” of His God! And this, too, when the church, as house of God on earth, had entirely failed. But there are higher glories than these — the “name of my God,” and His own “new name,” connected, I believe, with His victory. How lovely the grace that rewards with honors like these the faithfulness which was His own gift! It is very evident that he whose spirit is not stirred by these glorious promises is still sleeping in the dust of the earth.
And now it is in my heart to give some extracts from the teachings of only a few of these false prophets (their name is legion), under whose teaching and influence the faith of Christ is being given up by multitudes who had hitherto professed it outwardly. I do so in the hope that the few who may read this paper may, for the Lord Jesus sake and their own, for the sake of the souls of men, give heed to the exhortation with which this chapter commences, not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits whether they be of God. “Many false prophets are gone out,” and so forth. It is equally true of this very hour, the last hour. Beloved brethren in the far-off prairies of America will remember telling me that for twelve long years no professing Christian had ever visited them, who did not seek to introduce false doctrines. Thank God! the sheep knew the voice of the divine Shepherd, and so were kept. Great numbers had the doctrine of the Lord’s coming, and some were earnest Christians, but in almost every case these people were unsound in doctrine. Thus the liar from the beginning sought to bring discredit on that precious truth by connecting it with error. There are persons now, as of old, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, and “no wonder,” the apostle adds, “for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” “The church teaches,” say these prophets, when pressed for their authority, never, with God’s prophets of old, “Thus saith the Lord.” By “the church teaching” they mean, in general, the fathers, or persons accredited by the church, itself fallen, and under judgment. Even to Ephesus, the brightest of all the assemblies, the Lord said, “Remember whence thou art fallen,” with a threat of removing the candlestick out of its place.
The first passage I now quote from one of these reamed doctors gives us the thought of many as to this teaching church. Its direct contradiction to revealed truth on the subject will be apparent at the first glance.
The church, in the fullest sense, is left to herself to work out by her natural faculties the principles of her own action.
In this short sentence the presence of the Holy Ghost, the enmity of the natural mind, and the authority of the word of God, are wholly denied. Another person of eminence amongst these teachers thus describes the Trinity:
The law of thought is the ultimate basis and bond of coherence of this world; this thought is consubstantial with the being of the eternal “I am.” Being, becoming, and animating — or substance, thinking, and conscious life — are the expressions of a triad, which may be represented as will, wisdom, and love — light, radiance, and warmth; and then he adds,
If all this has a Sabellian sound, those who oppose it are bound to show how it differs from the teaching of the fathers.
This is what an eminent doctor says of the fathers! Now in mythology triad is the term applied to the mysterious union of three deities, in theology Sabellianism is the doctrine that Godhead consists of one Person only. He does not deny the Sabellianism of these thoughts. We can now form some idea of what importance is to be attached to the statement, “The church teaches.” The church, in the fullest sense, left to herself to work out by her natural faculties the principles of her own action “(according to one of these writers), has decided, it appears, to recognize this writer as an authorized teacher in her midst!
Another doctor remarks, that it was natural for a Christian in the earliest ages to regard heathenism as belonging to the kingdom of Satan. Then we have the following statement (he had been talking about the heathen divinities):
The natural religious shadows projected by the spiritual light within, showing on the dark problems without, were all in reality systems of law given by God, though not given by revelation.
That is, the idolatrous systems of worship offered to the gods, or to devils rather, of which the practice of diabolical corruption formed an essential part, were in reality laws given by God! I need not ask a child of God from what spirit such doctrines emanate. We know that the heart is desperately wicked, but I do not believe that such thoughts are of spontaneous growth there, but of Satanic origin. The Word says, “Try the spirits whether they are of God”; by multitudes an unheeded word. “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” — “observe what is delivered by yourselves to keep.” But these prophets, far from approving or accepting this admonition of our divine Master, boldly declare that in the fullest sense the church is to work out by her “natural faculties” the principles of her own action. This is a principle “delivered by themselves to keep.”
Certainly the allowance of such teachers and teaching, in the presence of a revelation from God, does look as if the natural faculties had succeeded in discovering a principle of action for those who desire to commit themselves to such guidance, instead of to the Word of God.
They do not believe that the natural mind is enmity against God. When an ecclesiastical authority teaches (the church practically accepting it by its recognition of the teacher), that the heathen systems of worship were in reality laws given by God, one recalls what the Spirit says expressly of the latter times, “Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.”
Another of these prophets teaches, that if the whole Bible were taken away, our belief in the living God remains as sure as ever, it is written on our hearts by God’s own hand as surely as by the hand of the apostle in the Bible.
Thus each person becomes a Bible himself, according to this, the feelings of his own heart being as sure as the Book. He continues: “That God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him, that His voice within the heart may be heard by any obedient child that listens for it,” that “that voice within shall be our teacher, when the words of the best of books may fail us.” That is, that the light within is a substitute for the light of revelation — as good, or better. Man, according to this, needs not the knowledge of Christ; the voice within, if heeded, is sufficient; but this is the denial of Christianity, simply deism, as the teaching of the other is practically Sabellianism. One more quotation from a prophet in our day.
Spiritual life and salvation are communicated by faith, when one fully repents, cries to God for salvation, and believes the atonement; but divine life, or regeneration, possessed by a few, is quite another thing, communicated and sustained by sacraments, possessed only in the degree in which, by personal efforts, we die to self. This is the portion of an elect few, who will form the bride of Christ.
He says that those are in a nearer relationship to Christ who are in the established church, though dead in sins, than a saved person who has spiritual life outside it. A well-known passage in the book of Proverbs forbids one making any reply to such statements.
But now, to go on with the chapter: the confession spoken of (vs. 3) is of the Person, Jesus Christ; but Jesus Christ come in the flesh, the confession of a doctrine simply is of no value; the confession of the truth contained in the doctrine is by the Holy Ghost.
Verse 7. Now he reminds the beloved that love is of God, and therefore we should love one another; if love is of God, every one that loves must be born of God. It is a matter here of nature, the divine nature, consequently God can only be known in that nature (vs. 8). “He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love,” and “Who, of men, knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him; thus also the things of God knoweth no man, except the Spirit of God.” God is known by participation in His nature, and by the Spirit. Blessed be His holy name! He is His own interpreter. The vain babblings and oppositions of false-named knowledge have no place here; he who knows God, knows that they are not of Him. No one can say, “Lord Jesus,” unless in the power of the Holy Ghost. Oh, the comfort of the divine word, and the blessed assurance that it is all His own! The word of a God whom we know in this wondrous way, possessing, through endless grace and love, His nature and His Spirit. Alas! for the Gnostics of our time, and of all time. This they willingly are ignorant of, that it is in the wisdom of God, that the world by wisdom knew not God. We cannot know what God is in nature, save in possessing that nature. Through ignorance of this, these schools of thought fail utterly. They do not teach the knowledge of God, nor yet to say, “Lord Jesus.” This is the work of the Holy Ghost; but the doctors prefer the operation of the “natural faculties,” and in place of revealed truth tell us of natural religious shadows projected by the spiritual light within!
Verses 9 and 10. This is love towards us, not yet in us, manifested in His sending His only-begotten Son, that we might live through Him. This was what the Lord Himself said (John 3). The next verse teaches us, that the love was not found in us, but in God. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us. Farther on we find this love in us. So with regard to eternal life, He has given it to us, but it is in the Son. Love is “known” by His laying down His life for us (1 John 3:1616Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16)). Love toward us, manifested by God sending His only-begotten Son that we might live through Him. Love consists in this, that God loved us when we loved Him not, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. That is, life and propitiation through the Son. Having thus given us the measure and the purposes of His love, John exhorts the beloved, by this so great love, to love one another, using the Lord’s own word, “so.” “God so loved.” Eternal life and propitiation were its ripe fruits (others we shall enjoy in their season); the Father’s house, the golden city, His tabernacle set amongst men; He will not forsake that, as of old He left the tent at Shiloh.
Verse 12. (See also John 1:1818No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)). The only-begotten Son hath revealed Him. What new tidings were these, the Father’s name manifested! Here the same difficulty is met in another way. “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.” Where did that love come from? Love is of God, and it is in us; but God is love, He therefore is in us. The Holy Ghost, by whom, as Paul tells us, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, is the power of this, and He dwells in us. But God dwelling in us is a truly wonderful and glorious privilege; His love is perfected in us, realized in the measure in which we love one another. So, in chapter 2, we see that the love of God is perfected in him that keeps Christ’s word. He declared that He was in principle what He said, His word was the perfect expression of Himself, but He was the manifestation of the perfect love of God; in keeping His word one possessed Himself, and thus the love of God was perfected in the believer. By love of God is meant, the love that is in God — divine love.
Verse 13. Hereby we know the full blessedness of God dwelling in us, and we in God, because “He has given us of his Spirit,” in the affections and thoughts which are by His Spirit. In 1 John 2:2424Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (1 John 2:24), it is said, “Hereby we know that He dwells in us, by the Spirit which He has given us,” the presence of the Holy Ghost. In 1 John 3:1616Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16), “Hereby we have known love, because he laid down his life for us.” He would have us intelligent as to all these channels of blessing from Himself. If He beautifies His saints with salvation, they glorify Him with praise. To the world John can say, “We have seen and do testify”; to the saints, “We have known and believed.” How precious in either case his theme, “Savior of the world.” Never was music like the sound of these words in the ears of a converted sinner; and such are we, converted, convicted, and soon to be conformed to the image of the Son; and then the love that God hath to us, He is this love. Himself and His love are ever known together. Like Jesus. and His word, where His love is, there is God Himself, where His word is, there Jesus is present. God’s love perfected in him that keeps it — he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Can we not discern the thought of God’s heart in these words? What is the answer in ours? The privilege how great! the neglect of it how profound! An offence to the God of love, a grief to His Spirit. Oh how the spirit of “this darkness” has, in many ways, made breaches upon us, large enough to let in the things of the world, and practically to shut out the things of God! Have we gloried somewhat in our knowledge, forgetting that it is he that loveth that knoweth God, and that God and the world cannot be loved at the same time? — “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee!” — and that another apostle prays that the saints might grow by the true knowledge of God. In all the teaching of this epistle, it is seen that the foundations are not in what is produced in the soul, as our dwelling in love, but in this, that God, who is love and light without darkness, has sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins, and that we might live through Him; that the Son, the eternal Life that was with the Father, had been manifested, and that that life is now in the saints.
Verse 17. “Herein is love with us [New Trans.] made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Love perfected in our case. The day of judgment will test the perfectness of this love; nowhere, not even in the Holy of holies, will the saints be more free with God, than in that awful hour; already they live of that eternal life in which Jesus, after His victory — sin, Satan, and death set aside or vanquished — ascended to the right hand. The victorious life is theirs, the life and nature of the Judge Himself. As He is, so are they. Neither time nor eternity affects a standing like this; judgment and glory leave it untouched. The day of glory equally manifests the perfectness of this love, for we shall see Him as He is. The glory of the Judge will be our glory, His life and glory ours.
“I give unto them eternal life,” “the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them.” Judgment could only reach them through that of the Judge Himself. The boldness of the saints with their God, the same in the day of judgment as in the Holy of holies, will tell aloud how love, with us, is made perfect. There is no fear in love, no, there is none, and we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. We cannot “fear where no fear is”; he that does not fear is perfected in love; but every blessing is from God. If we love Him, it is because He first loved us.