How To Recognize The Spirit Of God

1 John 4:1-6 

Key Verse 2 

“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God”

Read verse 1. What command is given in regards to spirits? (1a) What do we need to discover about each spirit? (1b) Why must we test the spirits? (1c)  

Read verses 2 and 3. How can we recognize the Spirit of God? (2) What is the spirit of the antichrist? (3a) Why is it important to acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? (Joh 1:14; 1Joh 1:1-3) Where is the spirit of the antichrist? (3b)

Read verses 4-6. Who are the “children” and where are they from? (4a,5,6) Who is John referring to in verse 5 and where are ‘they’ from? (1, 3b, 4a, 5, 6) What makes it possible for belivers to overcome them? (4b) 

Read verses 4-6 again. What point of view do they speak from? (5a) Who listens to them? (5b) Who listens to those from God? (6a) How do we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood? (6b)

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