Thy Strong Word — I John 4:1-6. You may know that you have eternal life: Test the spirits–depend on the Spirit.

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Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, ND, joins host Rev. Brady Finnern to study 1 John 4:1-6.

Our itching ears can be led away from Christ by attractive words. It can be difficult to distinguish what is from God or from some other spirit, but it is clear that only the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel and keeps us with Christ. John proclaims the truth of the Holy Spirit but confesses who is NOT the Holy Spirit. Any time a person confesses that salvation or forgiveness is NOT from Jesus, true God or true man. To confess that there is salvation in someone else is not a small issue, but that of the anti-Christ. “O Holy Spirit, call, gather, enlighten, sanctify us and the whole church on earth to stay in the true faith and keep us with Christ. Amen”

Thy Strong Word reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.

Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

1 John 4:1-6

Test the Spirits

4 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. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

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English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. esv.org