How Do I Tell If Someone Is Genuine or a Phony?

Do you have a hard time telling the difference between people who are genuine and people who are phonies?

This is an issue 1 John 4 tackles. Keep in mind that John is writing to people who have encountered false teachers. In 1 John 4:1, he writes, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” In other words, “don’t believe everything you hear.”

Just because someone has a great voice, writes well, and can quote scripture does not mean what they have to share has value. There are many phonies in the church. So, what do we do? How do we know who is a phony and who is legit? John gives us the answer in verses 2-3:

² This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

At first glance, this advice doesn’t seem helpful. But notice John adds the word “confess” or the Greek word “homolegi,” which is used 26 times in the NT. It’s used of John the Baptist in John 1:20 when he confessed that he was not the Christ. It’s used by Jesus in Matthew 10:32 when he says, “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

The word confession is synonymous with cost. When we confess Christ as Lord, it will cost us something. In fact, it will cost us everything. There is this glorious trade-off as we exchange our rags for Christ’s riches. Phonies aren’t willing to count the cost. When oppression hits, they scatter. But those who are willing to count the cost become known for their deep love. 1 John 4:7-10 says,

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

John is already known for being a repetitive writer, but these few verses reinforce that point. In just five verses, John uses the word love (agape) 13 times. In doing so, he drives home an important point that true followers of Christ as not just believers—they are doers. They don’t just hold to a profession of faith in Christ. They back it up with how they love others.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Lord, I praise you as the God of love and truth. Your love is perfect, and your truth is unchanging. Thank you for revealing yourself to us through Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate demonstration of your love. You guide us through your Spirit to discern truth from deception.

Release | I release my doubts and confusion about others, Lord. Help me let go of the frustration I feel when I encounter insincerity in people who claim to follow you. I also release any judgmental attitudes that cloud my ability to love as you do.

Ask | Teach me to discern between genuine and phony faith, Lord. Give me wisdom to test the spirits and recognize those who confess Jesus as Lord through their words and actions. Help me reflect your love by showing grace, even when others fall short. Strengthen my heart so I can remain rooted in your truth and love.

Yield | I yield my perspective to yours, trusting you to lead me in how to love others as you have loved me. I commit to living authentically, not just professing my faith but demonstrating it through acts of kindness, grace, and selflessness. Use me to reflect your love and truth in a world that desperately needs it.

A Challenge to Act Like Christ

John teaches us that our love for God is demonstrated through our confession of faith and love for others. True confession is more than a statement of belief in Jesus. It is more than reciting the Nicene creed. It is placing all that we have on the line, admitting our innate human deficiencies and total need for the empowering work of Christ.

Phony Christians are shaky in what they believe and weak in how they practice. Genuine Christians are confident in what they believe and committed to loving others regardless of the situation. They love because they have been loved.

If you’re struggling to tell the difference between genuine and phony Christians, the key is to listen carefully to what people say and watch closely how they live. Are they always ambiguous about what they believe and more confident about what they are against rather than what they are for? Do they say all the right things but consistently treat others around them harshly?  

Phony Christians are everywhere. So be discerning today in who you choose to follow. And only follow them so far as they follow Christ.