Greek mythology contains the account of a ten-year siege of the city of Troy. The Greeks (from the rival city of Sparta) grew weary of the siege and devised a plan to fool the Trojans into opening their gates. Over three days, the Greeks built a giant horse to gift the Trojans. On the night of completion, the Greeks pretended to sail away in defeat. On the horse, they inscribed, “For their return home, the Greeks give this gift.” Yet, the gift was not as it seemed. It was a false gift. Inside the cavernous body of the horse, a remnant of the Greek army hid. Believing they had won, the happy Trojans opened the gates and pulled the giant horse into their city. However, mythology also claims that some in the town warned against this as a trap. However, their warnings were ignored.
That night, when the city fell to sleep, the Greek army hidden in the horse exited their hiding place, opened the gates to the rest of the military (who had not sailed away), and defeated the city of Troy. From this mythology, we get the idea of the Trojan Horse. Something that appears lovely but is a falsehood and a trap. It is the same lesson John presents as he begins 1 John 4. John reminds us that not everyone who claims to speak the truth on behalf of God does indeed speak the truth on behalf of God.
Whenever we come across a sermon, message, book, video, or music which claims to be Christian, we cannot simply take it at face value. Satan loves to counterfeit the things of God. Just because the word “Lord” or “Jesus” appears does not make it righteous. For this reason, John wisely instructs us: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. The idea of testing the spirits is to try them by a trial. Put them to the test to see if they are true.
Just because someone says that they claim to speak for God does not mean that indeed they speak for God. Just because a preacher is famous or a best seller does not mean that he speaks for God. Often, if the World loves that preacher, your warning bells should go off. We must be cautious about what we listen to because Satan constantly attempts to infiltrate the church.
The test of truth is the Word of God. If an individual’s message proves to be faithful to the Word of God, then that person is speaking for God. The only reliable way to test any teaching is to measure it against God’s revelation in his infallible, written Word. Peter agrees with John in 2 Peter 1:19. In this text, Peter was speaking out against those who would claim that they had some new Word from God. These individuals claimed they were modern progressive minds with a better message. Peter taught the church that the most important message was fidelity to the Word. Today, in an ongoing effort to be relevant to the world around us, we are tempted to put our eggs in the basket of modern worship or updated inclusive beliefs. However, Peter and John challenge us not to worry about relevance but instead to worry about fidelity (faithfulness) to the Word of God.
On the other hand, any message that is not faithful to the Word of Truth proves that the message is not from God. Unfaithfulness to the Word of Truth disproves a message. From the beginning, Satan sought to distort the Word of God. Why? Because the Word of God contains the power of God for humanity. John MacArthur notes,
Satan’s basic strategy for attacking the truth first became evident in the garden of Eden, where he mounted a three-pronged assault on God’s word. First, he cast doubt on what God had said about eating the fruit of the tree of life. Second, he denied outright what God had sent to Adam. Finally, he added a distortion to what God had specifically told Adam.
As a result, John gives us three tests to see if the message is from God. First, the message must confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. This is more than simply stating that Jesus existed. This is saying that Jesus is the Messiah, the Lord of all, and that he came as flesh for all eternity. As a result, this Lord has all rights to my life and demands absolute fidelity. Second, the messenger must manifest evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. John states that these false messengers are from the world. This phrase indicates that they act like the world. There is no difference in their lives. This lack of difference demonstrates that they are false. Finally, the messenger must be committed to the Word of God. John continues that they speak from the world. Worldly philosophy fills their message. God’s Word does not fill their message.
Sadly, much that claims to be Christian today is not Christian. Observing the lives and messages of the various false teachers reveals that they are not God’s children. From the scandals at Hillsong and Bethel to the foolishness in the books surrounding “girlfriend theology” to the prevalence of “Christian nationalism” to the moralistic diddy presented by pastors, many Christians are being led away from God in the name of God. We cannot afford to be naïve in the world today. We must test everything against God’s Word to stand firmly on the truth. Become people of the Word!