Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 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. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:1-4

Over the weekend I watched YouTube video from a popular Christian apologist debating a group of students from a Mormon college. Some of those in the room were upset when the premise of Mormon thought was challenged because it is at odds with the Gospel.

That connects closely with John’s warning in the verses above. Not every spiritual or religious message should be accepted without discernment—especially when it departs from the Gospel revealed in Scripture. Even when a teaching comes with additional books, revelations, or persuasive presentation, we are called to test it by how it responds to the true identity of Jesus Christ.

At its core, Mormon teaching presents a different view of Jesus, salvation, and even the nature of God. That’s why discernment matters so deeply whether it is Mormonism or any other religion or worldview that differs from God’s world. As believers, we should lovingly but firmly hold to the truth of the Gospel and encourage one another to stay rooted in Scripture.

And we can do so with confidence, because as John reminds us: “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”