Try the Spirits by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jul 15, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 27.

Try the Spirits.

By Editor

WE showed last week that the only true rule by which to try the spirits is the word of God; that if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them; and that the Scriptures and the teaching of the spirits are in direct antagonism. We shall now present a further illustration of this.

The passage of Scripture in which is found the injunction to "try the spirits," reads in full thus: "Beloved believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

The Scriptures show that there are manifestations of the Spirit of God, and manifestations of the spirits of devils; that there are true prophets, and false prophets; that the true prophet is moved by the Spirit of God, and the false prophet is moved by a spirit that is not of God. The manifestations of the Spirit of God are ever by "that one and the selfsame Spirit," and consequently are always in harmony. The manifestations of the "spirits" are by a number of spirits and are discordant, contradicting themselves and one another. Of the Spirit of God, "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit;" "differences of administrations, but the same Lord;" "and diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all." 1 Cor. 12. While of "the spirits" there are diversities of spirits as well as diversities of gifts; differences of administrations of different lords; and diversities of operations with no God at all.

By the Spirit of God is given to one "the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit." While of the spirits, if there be words,—we shall not say of wisdom for there is no wisdom in them,—or gifts of healing, or miracles, or divers kinds of tongues, or any other manifestations, they are by a multitude of spirits, and with such diversity that there is no telling whether ever any two even of successive manifestations are by the same spirit, much less is it so that different manifestations at the same time are of the same spirit.

How then shall we know the true from the false? "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." 1 John 4: 2, 3. Some may say that Spiritualism will bear this test, because Spiritualists admit that there lived a person called Jesus Christ. Yes, they do admit that there lived a person called by that name. But that is not enough. Jesus Christ is not simply the name of a person, as John Smith, or William Thompson, is a name. It is not only a name but a title,—a title which bears a depth of meaning. The words Jesus and Christ are both Greek transferred into English. If they were translated instead of transferred we should have no such word as either Jesus or Christ. It is evident therefore that we must know the meaning of the words, before we can tell what is demanded in the confession that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

Jesus means Saviour, and its meaning upon him was given by the angel when he announced that he should be born. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS [Saviour, margin]; for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt. 1: 21. "Christ" signifies "anointed," and is explained in John 1: 41 with the margin. Speaking of Andrew, he says, "He first findeth his own brother Simon and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." "Messias" is Hebrew, and interpreted into Greek is "the Christ," which, interpreted into English, is "the Anointed." Thus in the term "Christ Jesus" we have the real meaning, "the Anointed Saviour," and as the angel said he shall save his people from their sins, we have the whole expressed by Paul, when he says: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus [the Anointed Saviour] came into the world to save sinners." Therefore, what there is in this test of the spirits, is this: Every spirit that confesseth that the Anointed Saviour of sinners is come in the flesh, is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that the Anointed Saviour of sinners is come in the flesh is not of God.

To confess that the Anointed Saviour of sinners is come in the flesh is a test that Spiritualism will not bear. Spiritualism knows no sin; much less does it confess a Saviour. Andrew Jackson Davis said:—

"Sin indeed in the common acceptation of that term does not really exist." "In the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures it is affirmed that sin is the transgression of the law. But by an examination of nature, the true and only Bible, it will be seen that this statement is erroneous. It gives a wrong idea of both man and law. . . . It will be found impossible for man to transgress a law of God."

Why is it impossible? Simply because according to Spiritualism every man is his own God. Said J. B. Hall in a spiritualistic lecture:—

"I believe that man is amenable to no law not written upon his own nature, no matter by whom it is given. . . . By his own nature must he be tried—by his own acts he must stand or fail. True, man must give an account to God for all his deeds; but how? Solely by giving account to his own nature—to himself."

As to its knowing no Saviour, we repeat a quotation from our article of last week:—

"Spiritualism declares that the belief or non-belief in Jesus weighs nothing as against the soul’s salvation. . . . If anything, the belief in the supremacy of Jesus . . . will retard rather than advance the soul’s progress." "Spiritualism knows no salvation through Christ or any other person, . . . every soul being its own saviour."

Thus it is plain that the spirits do not confess that Jesus Christ, the Anointed Saviour, is come in the flesh, and they are therefore false prophets. And then the word of God continues, "That is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." They are lying, seducing, wicked spirits. They lead to denial of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ; they lead away from the word of God; and the end of their course can only be perdition.

Here then, we have applied two of the tests which the word of God gives us by which to try the spirits—(1) They must speak according to the word of God; (2) They must confess that the Anointed Saviour is come in the flesh—and in both instances Spiritualism fails to be in any sense worthy of confidence. There are yet other tests which we shall apply.