06/12/2026
So let me get this straight...
If a man preaches a false gospel, gives false prophecies, twists Scripture, exploits God's people, and contradicts sound doctrine, we're not allowed to call him a false teacher as long as he says Jesus came in the flesh?
Is that really the standard we're going with?
Because the apostles didn't seem to think so.
Paul condemned those preaching a different gospel (Gal. 1:8-9). Peter warned of false teachers who secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Pet. 2:1). Moses said a prophet whose predictions fail is a false prophet (Deut. 18:20-22). Titus says elders must refute those who contradict sound doctrine (Titus 1:9).
So yes, 1 John 4 is a test. It is not the only test.
And while we're at it, when did speaking in tongues become the measure of spiritual power?
The Bible says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16), not tongues.
The Bible says the evidence of the Spirit's work is His fruit (Gal. 5:22-23), not tongues.
The Bible never teaches that a believer who speaks in tongues is more spiritual, more powerful, or more mature than a believer who doesn't. In fact, Paul spends three chapters correcting the Corinthians because they were exalting gifts while neglecting the very things that actually demonstrate spiritual maturity.
Then Jude 20 gets quoted
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit"
Where does Jude mention tongues?
He doesn't.
The context isn't tongues. The context is contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, resisting false teachers, remaining in the love of God, and persevering in the truth. Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying under the influence of the Holy Spirit, according to the will of God, in submission to the truth of God. To automatically make Jude 20 about tongues is to read something into the text that isn't there.
Ironically, some accuse cessationists of having no Scripture while defending positions that require adding things to Scripture that the text never actually says.
The Bereans were commended because they tested everything by the Word of God. Not experiences. Not manifestations. Not personalities. Not platforms.
Have we become so committed to defending experiences that we've stopped testing them by Scripture?
