Testing the Spirits

In I John 4:1, the apostle tells the believers to test the spirits to determine if they are of God. What kind of testing are we to do? As a teacher I test my students to find out what they know and the depth of that knowledge. John dealt with the theme of knowledge in this letter as he has addressed the gnostic crisis facing the first century church. But what the people involved knew wasn't the issue. So the testing here isn't to find out what is known.

Another kind of testing is the testing of trial. We are told by James, who uses the same word that John does, that we should rejoice when we encounter various trials (testings). Because of our obedient response to the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, difficult situations build us up instead of tearing us down. We are to value such testing in our lives because of the postive spiritual changes it produces in our lives. However, John isn't focusing on that aspect of the word.

Another kind of testing is referred to as "assaying". When minerals that appear to be precious metals are brought to the assayer, he tests them to determine the genuineness of the material. This same word for testing was used by the greeks to describe that which is genuine and that which has character. This is the sense in which John warns the first century believers to test the spirits. They are to assay these suspect spiritual leaders to determine if they are genuine in their faith. They are to plumb their character.

That ties the idea of testing the spirits with Johns theme of what it means to know God. Things may be said and taught that sound valid, but only that which is obedient to God is the genuine spirit, the tested and approved spirit.