“Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God.
And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God.”
1 John 4:2, 3 MSG
Straightforward words. No beating around the bush here. This dispels the popular notion that there are “many ways up the mountain.”
Ah, no, there are not. There is only one way to Father God and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can even test and see if you have the genuine Spirit of God. Simply stated. Easy to do. Here it is…if you confess openly your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God…then you are in God’s family. You belong to God. Woo Hoo!
Conversely, the opposite is true. If you do not confess openly, by faith, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God…then you are not in God’s family. You do not belong to God. In fact, you have nothing in common with God.
God makes it so easy to be a part of His family. Why do we make it so hard? He desires for us to belong to the greatest family…His…and we decide, “no thanks, I’m good.”
God has made a simple way for us…but that way cost everything for His Son. This Jesus, who stepped out of eternity into time, who came as an actual flesh and blood person…came to die, to rise again, ascend, and even now is seated at the right hand of God ever-interceding for us…so that you and I could LIVE by His Spirit and belong to God forever. What a deal! He did it all. He’s ours for the taking.
However, it’s only by confessing, openly, your faith in Jesus, that cements the deal. No eeking into God’s family.
Confessing means “calling it the same thing as”. So when you are confessing OPENLY your faith in Jesus Christ, there is no confusion between you and Father God. He sees your heart. He hears your open confession of faith in His Son. You’re in. You belong to God.
Just think…He did it ALL for us. All we need to do is confess and believe.
Why wouldn’t you want to belong to the best family in the whole world? Plus, we get to be together for all of eternity. That’s a very long time. No abandonment issues here. We are in God’s forever family through Jesus, His Son.
So, administer your own test. Do you have the genuine Spirit of God living in you? Steep in 1 John 4:2-3 again. He doesn’t want you to fail.
