More silliness from 1st John

This time through the New Testament God has really opened my eyes to some of the silly stuff that the disciples have written.  I am in 1st John 4 today.  First let's talk about some advice that I think is very valuable.  Then I'm gonna make fun of some advice that I think is silly. 

First the good stuff.

1 John 4:1-3(NKJV)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out 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. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

Great advice in my opinion.  Test the spirits that try to influence you.  Do the profess or deny that Jesus came in the flesh and was of God?  If they deny it then they are not of God.

One of my favorite examples of this principal is those who advocate for Chrislam.  Those who believe that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.  According to the Scripture above, that can not be true!  Why?  Because Muslims deny that Jesus was the Son of God.  Scripture tells us directly that they cannot be of God with that belief.  Case closed.

Now for the silliness.

1 John 4:7-16(NKJV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 

By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Think it through.  "…for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 

Really?  Muslims love their families.  Do they know God and are they of God just because they love?  1st John 4:1-3 tells us that isn't true.  Hitler loved the German people.  Does that mean he knew God?   Atheists love their families.  But to claim they know God just because they love is absurd because they specifically reject God.

I could go on and on with examples but you get the point.  Simply loving does not in any way indicate that you know God. 

Just another example of why you need discernment as you read Scripture in my opinion.