Developing Discernment

The apostle John exhorts his readers about their need for discernment in this section, urging them not to believe every message, but to evaluate teachers and their content by their conformity with the apostle's doctrine, particularly regarding the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ and His work. He provides the rationale for this need: many false prophets and false teachers are operating in the world. What was true then is certainly true now as well. Lest we get discouraged and worried about falling victim to those who promote wrong beliefs, John assures us that we have already overcome them because of the indwelling Holy Spirit promised by the Lord Jesus, who is greater than all false proclaimers. We can also identify true and false speakers by how they respond to the apostle's teaching, recorded for us in God's Word.