The Holy Spirit from God

1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; In the previous verse, John called the church to be careful to whom they listen. They were to make sure they only listened to those who spoke or taught by the Spirit of God. In this verse, today we learn another test by which we can know the Holy Spirit. Every person or spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Living to love with Jesus is the same as walking by the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:9, 11, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” It is the Holy Spirit who manifests the life of Jesus in and through us. It is the Spirit of God who will raise us up to eternal life even as it raised Jesus’ earthly body. The antichrists in John’s day did not believe Jesus came in the flesh, in an earthly body. They believed the material world, the earthly body, was evil, therefore they denied the incarnation. Today, the antichrists have repackaged the same lies of John’s day. They speak about “the Spirit,” but their emphasis isn’t on Jesus as the Christ, the atoning sacrifice for our sins, died, buried, and risen to give eternal life. They “believe that following the way and teachings of Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life, even as we recognize that the Spirit moves in beneficial ways in many faith traditions.” (patheos.com). The spirit that generated those words is not the Spirit of God or Christ, but the spirit of antichrist. We will learn more about the spirit of antichrist tomorrow. Today, be encouraged if you confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh to atone for our sins and bring us to God, giving us eternal life, you are from God.