Interpretation of the Bible / 1 John 4:1

In this verse, John warns us that there are many false prophets going out into the world. These false prophets are those who try to claim to be the bearers of the truth about God, but in reality their teachings do not line up with the true messages of the Bible. As Christians, we must be careful not to be deceived by these false prophets. We must be critical and always on guard.

The phrase “do not believe every spirit” refers to false prophets who claim to be messengers of God and try to deceive Christians. These false prophets can appear in many forms and situations, but their goal is always the same: to lead believers astray from the path of truth. The only way to avoid being deceived is to pay attention to what these prophets or teachers actually say and compare it to the teachings of the Bible.

John tells us that we must “test the spirits” to see if they are of God. This means that we must carefully examine what these potential prophets say and how they say it. We must compare their words with the teachings of the Bible and determine whether they are in line with God's truth or deviate from it. In this way, we can determine whether what we are being told is truly from God or whether it is a lie.