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Try the Spirits

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.

            He is called the Spirit of truth because He is opposed to all lies and false spirits, for the world is full of spirits, as the proverb says: Where God builds a church the devil builds a chapel beside it – that is, where the pure Word of God is preached, the devil introduces sects and mobs and many false spirits, which take to themselves the glory and the name of Christ and His Church.  But at bottom it is all false and there is no truth nor certainty in it.  ‘But I will give unto you, the Spirit,’ says Christ, ‘ who will make you sure and certain of the truth, so that you will no longer doubt any article concerning your eternal blessedness, but will be sure of the matter and will be able to be judges and judge all other teaching.’ Thus He will make you not only soldiers and victors, but He will give you a scarlet robe and make you doctors and masters who can discern with certainty which teaching is true or which is false in the Church.  The devil will not be sufficiently clever and no traitor sufficiently nimble to make your teaching false or lead you astray.

            And thus the Christian Church has held her own from the beginning until now among innumerable false spirits which have been from the beginning and may still come.  And yet she goes on standing firm by her Baptism, Lord’s Supper, Gospel, Christ, Ten Commandments, and true and pure prayer, and thus she judges and separates from herself all false teaching which is opposed to her – yes, even though the devil should become an angel of light and as a beautiful and radiant figure should present himself as God.                    -  Dr. Martin Luther -