Angels Part Eight - Discernment

This is the last of eight posts based on the Bible Study Guide "Angels" by Douglas Connelly, A LifeGuide Bible Study. Today's study is based on John 4:1-6, where the apostle John teaches us to test the spirits. There are two potential pitfalls one could fall into when considering "spiritual experiences" like angel sightings or faith healings. One error would be total skepticism. If one discounts all supernatural events they will miss out on what God is up to. The other error would be total openness, in which one falls for everything and is vulnerable to be led into more error.

By John's instruction, spirits that acknowledge Christ incarnate are from God. He also tells us that "whoever knows God listens to us [the apostles]." From this we can know whether or not spiritual encounters are on the straight and narrow. They must be in line with the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. They must not deny the God-Man nature of Jesus. Most importantly, John reminds us that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." We have the Holy Spirit, and He will guide us into truth. Above all we must not judge by mere appearances. Paul reminds us in II Corinthians 11:14 that even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. So even confronted by a glorious "angel" we must know scripture and be able to evaluate the angel's message against the measure of God's word.