John the Apologist
As I was reading over chapters 3-5 of 1 John this evening I realized that he makes some rather useful points from an apologetic standpoint. Usually when I think of this book of the Bible I think about how we are to love one another and how that love identifies us as children of God. True enough, this is a book that is laden with admonitions to love one another and abide in the love of Christ. Then there is chapter 4. In the particular edition of the Bible that I am using this chapter is sub-headed "Testing the Spirits." First of all, John tells us flat out that if a spirit does not confess Christ then it is simply and categorically, not from God. It's as easy as that. Then he lays this bombshell in verse 5, They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world and the world listens to them. How many of those who supposedly confess Christ in our society "speak as from the world"? This may be most true of hardcore "emergent" Christians. In fa