John warns us of false spirits that have been sent into the world by writing in 1 John 4:1-2, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God; Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God."
The message is a bit of a diversion from most of this letter telling of Christianity's love for one another based on God's love for us. After all, Christianity is the religion of love. However, it's important to not take that emphasis to an unhealthy extreme. If, in the name of love, we uncritically accept every idea or value of others, we open ourselves up to error. God never asks us to put our brains in neutral when it comes to matters of faith. Throughout this letter, John repeatedly appeals for love, but he also places a very high premium on truth. Not a wishy-washy opinion that is passed along as a "truth", but the absolute, eternal truths of God's Word. In addition to testing the spirits, we are to discern between truth and error, to avoid sin, and to distinguish between things of the world and the will of God. Finally we must identify deceivers and avoid them.
If we're not able to hold these truths close to our heart and be able to act on them daily, we need to begin a more earnest study of the Scriptures so that we have God's understanding of what the Bible says and means, and how to act on these learnings in our life.
Blessings to all
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