DIVERSITY OF SPIRITS

"Beloved, believe not every spirit. But try the spirits, whether they are of God. Because many false spirits are gone out into the world." I John 4.1

Perhaps a more weighty admonition than the one embraced in this text cannot be found in the scriptures. Or one to which professors of Christianity should or more earnestly take heed? It is important, first of all, in ascertaining the validity of our own hope in Christ and the course which we are called to pursue as Christians in regard to our faith and practice. And secondly, in establishing the bounds of our fellowship for the person's doctrines and practices of others.

The God of Heaven has through his apostle, and in this text informed us that there are many false spirits in the world, and admonished the Saints not to believe them. False spirits we understand to be those which assume or pretend to be something which they are not. And which Incline. those who possessed them to believe and do things which are false and delusive.

In the demonstration of a Good Hope through grace, there is but one spirit that can be relied upon. And as there are many spirits that cannot be believed, we should search the divine record to learn from the high authority of God himself what are the peculiar marks of which we are to test the spirits. If we are born of God, the spirit of God, the spirit of adoption will bear witness with our spirit that we are the subjects of that heavenly birth. But if we have not the spirit of Christ, we are none of his. In every essential point, the spirit of Christ is opposite to all other spirits. It is holy, while all others are unholy. It is true, while all others are false. It leads into all truth., while all others lead into heresy and falsehood. It leads the child of God to love God supremely, and to love his word, his doctrine, his ordinances, and his people above everything else, while all false spirits exert an opposite bearing. The true and infallible spirit leads those on whom it is bestowed to trust only in the living God. To worship him in spirit, to rejoice in Christ Jesus, and to have no confidence in the flesh. But the false spirits, directly or indirectly, openly or covertly, incline their dupes to trust in something short of God, to rejoice in the works of their own hands, and to pretend to worship God in lifeless forms and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. The spirit of truth is a spirit whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not, neither knows him, but all false spirits can be received by the world. The true spirit is the Spirit of God. The others are spirits of the world and the spirits of devils. 

God's people are admonished to try the spirits because they are liable to be deceived by the false spirits, as was evidently the case with them when the Lord told them that they knew not what manner of spirit they were of. Peter was troubled with one of them when he savored the things of men. And we conclude that the Saints of God at this age have still greater cause to beware. "For the spirit speaks expressly that in the last days, perilous times should come, and many should depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."

Men may have a kind of religious spirit about them which they mistake for a spirit of truth and holiness, and which has been often so mistaken. The scribes and Pharisees were under this fatal delusion. Saul of Tarsus was by it led to verily believe that he ought to do many things contrary to Jesus of Nazareth. And Christ told his disciples that the time should come when men should believe they were doing God's service in slaying them.

Men, under the direction of a false lying and seducing spirit, in thousands of instances at this day, are led up to set up their inventions, theories, rights, ceremonies, ordinances, frames, and feelings as a standard of truth and righteousness without regard to what God has authorized in his word. As a rule and standard for his children to be governed by. In testing the validity and vitality of our hope by the spirit that predominates over us, we should watch whether it elevates our affections from Earth to heaven and heavenly things, whether it gives us exalted conceptions of the power and majesty of Jehovah. Whether it leads to lay aside our own wisdom and righteousness as a ground of reliance and trust alone to God's method of salvation by grace, whether it directs our faith to apprehend a safety in and trust alone to God's method of salvation by grace. Whether it directs our faith to apprehend a safety and relying alone on the blood of righteousness, or our exalted Redeemer for justification and eternal deliverance from wrath and on the quickening operation of the Holy Spirit to qualify us for the enjoyment of God and heaven and all spiritual things. Frames and feelings, when produced by the Spirit's work on us, will always be in harmony with the divine standard of Christian experience and spiritual exercise. Our frames and feelings however pleasant or painful are not to be trusted as a rule for our conduct, nor an evidence of our adoption any further than they accord with the Divine rule laid down in the New Testament. If even Christians were authorized to regard their feelings as a rule for their conduct, they would not have been reproved for an inclination to pray for fire from heaven to consume their enemies. Nor would Peter have been subjected to the sharp rebuke which he received in the case before alluded to. Christians have sometimes been grossly deceived by their feelings and by them misled into serious difficulties in regard to their conduct. Equally unsafe and unreliable are our feelings. In determining the validity of our hope in God, how often do all our present feelings forbid us to hope that we are born of God? How often did David and many other of God's dear children feel as though the Lord's mercies were clean, gone forever, and that he had forgotten to be gracious? Zion also said the Lord has forgotten me. Jonah felt as though he did well to be angry, even unto death, and good old Job was led by his feelings to curse the day on which he was born.

On the other hand, how frequent are the instances given in the scriptures of men who have evinced strong feelings of a religious character and still were destitute of the power of vital godliness in their souls? They were astonished at the gracious words which Jesus uttered, and felt inclined to take him by force and make him king. But in the next hour, they conspired to murder him. The Pharisee felt very religious when he prayed to himself and ventured to appeal to God that he had done so many religious acts.

Hypocrites and nominal professors are frequently among the most feeling people on Earth. Arminians can get up and excitement. Of animal feelings at pleasure. They can and do appoint times beforehand to agonize, to fast and afflict their souls, and they also have their times and places and means appointed for raising a revival, and they contend that it is their privilege to enjoy a shouting season whenever they please. But it is not so with the children of God. When they are depressed and sorrowful, they must wait God's own appointed time for their deliverance. When they are shut up, they cannot go forth. The apostle in our text evidently admonished the saints to try the spirits of those who did or should claim their fellowship. Men should apply for membership in the churches of the saints. It is not sufficient to know that they have a spirit. But we must try the spirit, whether it be of God. And when men come unto them in sheep's clothing, while inwardly they are ravening wolves, try them by the infallible standard. It is not enough that they talk of feelings, or that they put on their hypocritical imitations of humility and talk with fain words, with sanctimonious tones, with moistened eyes, and in such manner as is calculated to steal upon the carnal sympathies of our nature. Test them by the more sure word of testimony. "To the word and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

Gilbert Beebe

March 1, 1851

Signs of the Times