1. HOW to test the spirits, and
2. WHAT the Spirit of God is (and how to recognize Him).
1. How We Are to Test the Spirits
1 John 4:1 — The command to test the spirits
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…”
— 1 John 4:1
This is the foundational instruction.
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2. The Test Itself — What Confession Reveals the Spirit
1 John 4:2–3 — The Spirit of God vs. the spirit of error
“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist…”
— 1 John 4:2–3
This is the primary biblical test.
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3. The Two Categories of Spirits
1 John 4:6 — Spirit of Truth vs. Spirit of Error
“By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
— 1 John 4:6
John divides all spiritual influences into two realms:
– Spirit of Truth → from God
– Spirit of Error → from the world / antichrist
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4. Discernment as a Spiritual Gift
1 Corinthians 12:10 — Distinguishing of spirits
“…to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits…”
— 1 Corinthians 12:10
This shows that discernment is a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit.
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5. The Spirit of God Defined
The Spirit of God always:
– Confesses Jesus Christ came in the flesh (1 John 4:2–3)
– Exalts Christ
– Aligns with apostolic teaching (1 John 4:6)
– Speaks truth
– Produces righteousness and love (1 John 4:7–12)
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6. The Spirit of Antichrist Defined
According to 1 John 4:3:
– Denies Jesus Christ came in the flesh
– Rejects His identity, incarnation, or lordship
– Speaks from the world (1 John 4:5)
– Is already active in the world
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7. Additional Insight — The Berean Model
While not directly about “spirits,” it shows the method of testing:
Acts 17:11 — Examine everything by Scripture
The Bereans were commended because they examined the Scriptures daily to verify teachings.
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
1. List the fruit of the Spirit, and
2. Say we will know who is of God by their fruits.
All factual statements are grounded in the search results you triggered.
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1. The Fruit of the Spirit
The clearest and most authoritative passage is:
Galatians 5:22–23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self‑control…”
This is the full biblical list.
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2. We Know Who Is of God by Their Fruits
Jesus teaches this principle directly:
Matthew 12:33
“For the tree is known by its fruit.”
This is the foundational statement:
Fruit reveals nature.
Good tree → good fruit.
Bad tree → bad fruit.
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Matthew 7:16–20 (not in search results but directly tied to the same theme)
“You shall know them by their fruits… A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit… Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”
This is the classic passage used to discern true vs. false believers, prophets, and teachers.
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3. Additional Fruit Passages From Your Search Results
Your search results also surfaced these:
Ephesians 5:9
“For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”
This reinforces the same theme:
Fruit = evidence of the Spirit’s work.
