“BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT”

In our days especially it is very necessary to take heed to this word of admonition. Strange spirits have appeared on social and religious terrain to a greater extent than ever before. Such times have been foretold by the Lord Jesus Himself, but also by some of the apostles.

In the garden of Gethsemane the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” How necessary it is to practice this with an eye upon the great Immanuel for help! At the same time we should also consider the words of Jesus written in John 7:34: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

John considered it necessary already in his time to write these words of admonition to the church of Christ, “Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1).

In connection with this important word of caution, we would like our readers to first consider what a wise commentator says about these words of the apostle; namely:

“By every spirit he means, either every doctrine that is pretended to come from the Spirit of God, or every teacher, who professes to be qualified and sent by Him, and to have his light, knowledge, and doctrine from Him. Every true minister of the Gospel has the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, more or less, to qualify him for his work; he is separated, and called to it by Him, and receives his spiritual light and knowledge from Him; it is He that teaches him sound doctrine and leads him into all truth, as it is in Jesus, and brings every necessary truth to his remembrance: and who succeeds his ministration to the good for souls: but there are some who call themselves the ministers of the Gospel, who, though they may have some natural abilities, and a share of human learning, and a notional knowledge of things, yet have never received either grace or gifts from the Spirit; nor have they ever been called by Him; nor are their ministrations according to that Divine word which is inspired by Him, nor attended with His demonstration and power; wherefore, though some professing to have the Spirit of Christ are to be believed, yet not every one; and though the Spirit is not to be quenched in any, nor prophesying to be despised, yet care should be taken what is heard and received. Some persons are so obstinate and incredulous as not to believe anything that is declared, be the evidence what it will; as the Jews would not believe Christ and His apostles though what they said agreed with Moses and the prophets, and was confirmed by miracles, and others are too credulous; at once receive every teacher, and embrace every upstart doctrine: this they should not do, but try the spirits whether they are of God; not by human reason, especially as carnal and unsanctified; for though the doctrines of the Gospel are not contrary to true reason, they are above it, and not to be judged of by it, and are disapproved of and rejected by carnal reason; but by the Word of God, which is the standard of all doctrine; and whatever agrees with that is to be received, and what does not should be rejected. And so to do is very commendable, as appears from the instance of the people of Berea, who on this account are said to be more noble than those of Thessalonica, Acts 17:11; and from the commendation of the church at Ephesus, Rev. 2:2. And this is what every believer, every private Christian should do: to them it belongs to read and search the Scriptures, and to prove all things, and judge for themselves of the truth of doctrine; and to such a probation, or trial of the spirits, spiritual light, knowledge, judgment, sense, experience, and divine guidance are necessary, which should be asked of God, and an increase thereof; and all such diligent searchers, and humble inquirers, are capable of making judgment of persons and doctrines, whether they are from God or not, for the Spirit never speaks contrary to His word.”

Considering all of the foregoing, it is the hope and prayer of my heart that many will be convinced of the necessity of trying the spirits whether they are of God. At so many places we hear the cry, Here is Christ, and there is Christ; much publicity is given to great revivals, in which many thousands confess Christ as their Savior; yea, we have also read that even whole families have been saved as radio listeners of a radio ministry, while pictures of these families were printed in a religious periodical.

Have these people truly been saved in God’s way and work, which is the Biblical way? Have they truly been saved by the heavenly instructions and experience of misery, redemption, and gratitude, so clearly set forth in the Word of God and confirmed by the doctrines of our Heidelberg Catechism? Do they truly love God’s servants, so few in our days? Do they really love God’s people and the blessed experimental truth, which some are able to hear every Sabbath, but which is despised by so many? Has Pastor Shelton, who has placed such pictures as mentioned above, ever spoken with these people in uprightness and examined the grounds upon which they built, before placing all these families in the magazine and testifying before the public that they have all been saved by listening to his preaching over the radio?

Oh, how necessary it is in our dark days to confess and cleave to the Doctrinal Standards, which have been published again for our congregations just recently. How blessed they arc who may yet gather in our dark times where the true Church of Christ is yet to be found, the marks of which are, and whereby she may be known: 1. The preaching of the pure Gospel. 2. The maintenance of the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ. 3. The exercising and application of church discipline in a punishment of sin.

Although we find Zion presently in a very low state, and we must exclaim with the weeping prophet of olden times: “The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!” Lam. 4:2; and although we must cry out with the psalmist of Psalm 141, “Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth”; there is yet here and there a remnant left of the true stranger here below: “Shall my heart not bleed, shall my eye not weep, if I consider that so many have the confession of the truth, but are yet destitute of true conversion and do not believe with their whole heart in the Lord Jesus Christ!”

Oh, that we may be thankful towards the King of His Church for the Doctrinal Standards, which are as bulwarks for the true Church of God. I feel it necessary before this article is concluded to place before our many readers what our Confession of Faith and Heidelberg Catechism teach about the true Church of Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism.

Article 29, of the Confession of Faith — Of the marks of the true Church, and wherein she differs from the false church: We believe, that we ought diligently and circumspectly to discern from the Word of God which is the true Church, since all sects which are in the world assume to themselves the name of the Church. But we speak not here of hypocrites, who are mixed in the Church with the good, yet are not of the Church, though externally in it; but we say that the body and communion of the true Church must be distinguished from all sects, who call themselves the Church. The marks, by which the true Church is known, are these: if the pure doctrine of the Gospel is preached therein; if she maintains the pure administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if church discipline is exercised in punishing of sin: in short, if all things are managed according to the pure Word of God, all things contrary thereto rejected, and Jesus Christ acknowledged as the only Head of the Church. Hereby the true Church may certainly be known, from which no man has a right to separate himself. With respect to those, who are members of the Church, they may be known by the marks of Christians: namely, by faith; and when they have received Jesus Christ the only Savior, they avoid sin, follow after righteousness, love the true God and their neighbor, neither turn aside to the right or left, and crucify the flesh with the works thereof. But this is not to be understood, as if there did not remain in them great infirmities; but they fight against them through the Spirit, all the days of their life, continually taking their refuge in the blood, death, passion and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom they have remission of sins, through faith in Him.” As for the false Church, she ascribes more power and authority to herself and her ordinances than to the Word of God, and will not submit herself to the yoke of Christ. Neither does she administer the sacraments as appointed by Christ in His Word, but adds to and takes from them, as she thinks proper; she relieth more upon men than upon Christ; and persecutes those, who live holily according to the Word of God, and rebuke her for her errors, covetousness, and idolatry. These two Churches are easily known and distinguished from each other.

Heidelberg Catechism, Question 103, What doth God require in the fourth commandment? Answer: First, that the ministry of the Gospel and the schools be maintained; and that I, especially on the Sabbath, that is, on the day of rest, diligently frequent the church of God, to hear His word, to use the sacraments, publicly to call upon the Lord, and contribute to the relief of the poor, as becomes a Christian. Secondly, that all the days of my life I cease from my evil works, and yield myself to the Lord, to work by His Holy Spirit in me: and thus begin in this life the eternal Sabbath.

Article 34, of the Confession of Faith — Of Holy Baptism: We believe and confess that Jesus Christ, who is the end of the law, hath made an end, by the shedding of His blood, of all other sheddings of blood which men could or would make as a propitiation or satisfaction for sin: and that He, having abolished circumcision, which was done with blood, hath instituted the sacrament of baptism instead thereof; by which we are received into the Church of God, and separated from all other people and strange religions, that we may wholly belong to Him, whose ensign and banner we bear: and which serves as a testimony to us, that He will forever be our gracious God and Father. Therefore He has commanded all those, who are His, to be baptized with pure water, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”: thereby signifying to us, that as water washeth away the filth of the body, when poured upon it, and is seen on the body of the baptized, when sprinkled upon him; so doth the blood of Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost, internally sprinkle the soul, cleanse it from its sins, and regenerate us from children of wrath, unto children of God. Not that this is effected by the external water, but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God; who is our Red Sea, through which we must pass, to escape the tyranny of Paraoh, that is, the devil, and to enter into the spiritual land of Canaan. Therefore the ministers, on their part, administer the sacrament, and that which is visible, but our Lord giveth that which is signified by the sacrament, namely, the gifts and invisible grace; washing, cleansing and purging our souls of all filth and unrighteousness; renewing our hearts, and filling them with all comfort; giving unto us a true assurance of his fatherly goodness; putting on us the new man, and putting off the old man with all his deeds. Therefore we believe, that every man, who is earnestly studious of obtaining life eternal, ought to be but once baptized with this only baptism, without ever repeating the same: since we cannot be born twice. Neither doth this baptism only avail us, at the time when the water is poured upon us, and received by us, but also through the whole course of our life; therefore we detest the error of the Anabaptists, who are not content with the one only baptism they have once received, and moreover condemn the baptism of the infants of believers, whom we believe ought to be baptized and sealed with the sign of the covenant, as the children in Israel formerly were circumcised, upon the same promises which are unto our children. And indeed Christ shed His blood no less for the washing of the children of the faithful, than for adult persons; and therefore they ought to receive the sign and sacrament of that, which Christ hath done for them; as the Lord commanded of Christ’s suffering and death, shortly after they were born, by offering for them a lamb, which was a sacrament of Jesus Christ. Moreover, what circumcision was to the Jews, that baptism is to our children. And for this reason Paul calls baptism the circumcision of Christ.

Heidelberg Cathechism, Question 72, Is then the external baptism with water the washing away of sin itself? Answer: Not at all: for the blood of Jesus Christ only, and the Holy Ghost cleanse us from all sin.

Question 73, Why then doth the Holy Ghost call baptism “the washing of regeneration,” and “the washing away of sins”? Answer: God speaks thus not without great cause, to-wit, not only thereby to teach us, that as the filth of the body is purged away by water, so our sins are removed by the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ; but especially that by this divine pledge and sign he may assure us, that we are spiritually cleansed from our sins as really, as we are externally washed with water.

Question 74, Are infants also to be baptized? Answer: Yes: for since they, as well as the adult, are included in the covenant and church of God; and since redemption from sin by the blood of Christ, and the Holy Ghost, the author of faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult; they must therefore by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, be also admitted into the Christian church; and be distinguished from the children of unbelievers as was done in the old covenant or circumcision, instead of which baptism is instituted in the new covenant.

May it please the almighty God to bless these words of instruction and admonition to the conversion of sinners and to the establishment of His people in the blessed Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that they may give thanks and honor to the Lord for the blessed bulwarks given through our godly forefathers for His Church through all ages.

Editor

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