The One Question
September 30, 2026
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."
1 John 4:2-3 (ESV)
What if you could test anyone, from a preacher and a friend, to a stranger online, and know in one question whether they're telling you the truth about Jesus?
In December 2009, Marilyn Sewell, a retired Unitarian minister and self-described liberal Christian, interviewed Christopher Hitchens, who was a famous atheist. She asked what separated her faith from the fundamentalist kind that he attacked. His answer surprised her. He said if you don't believe Jesus rose from the dead and that His death paid for sin, you're not a Christian at all.
An atheist gave the right answer to the question that matters most.
In today’s verse, the Apostle John tells you how to conduct your own tests when you hear a preacher or read something online. "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God." (1 John 4:2-3) John uses both the name Jesus and the title Christ in one sentence. A trusted voice always says Jesus is fully man and fully God, not one or the other.
You might meet people this week who sound spiritual. Before you trust what they say, ask this question first: Who do you say Jesus is? Fully God and man, or just a good teacher, or one path among many?
Jesus was not just a godly teacher; he was God who came to teach. He was not just a great man. He was the God-man.
Hitchens got one question right while rejecting everything else. Test every voice you hear with this passage and let the Word of God show you who to trust.
Prayer: Father, thank You that Jesus is fully God and fully man. And thank You for the Holy Spirit, promising to guide me into truth, and recognize any spirit of those who oppose You. Help me discern through this one question, that Jesus came in the flesh and rose again. Don't let me be moved by how sincere or brilliant someone sounds if they get this one answer wrong. In Jesus' name, Amen.