Ramsey Creek Baptist Church

Test the spirits and teachers around you (vs. 1). In Matthew 7 Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” In 1 Corinthians there is reference to a gift of spiritual discernment, discerning perhaps by what spirit or type of spirit a person spoke in order to recognize imposters. A true believer affirms Christ’s full humanity and His full deity (vs. 2-3). By testing the spirits we can know if a teacher or a doctrine is from God; those who confess Jesus has come in the flesh are from God. The church has overcome false teachers because of the Father in us (vs. 4-6). In Matthew 7, Jesus directs us beyond the words of the teachers, pointing us to observe the lives of the teachers. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Those who know the voice of the Shepherd abandon everything so that they can be with Him.