1 John 4:2 — testing spirits by confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh carries the full theological weight of Messiah, incarnation, and OT fulfillment, not merely a verbal formula

Winger argues that 'Jesus Christ has come in the flesh' is a dense doctrinal statement: Jesus = the real biblical Jesus; Christ = Messiah with all OT fulfillment implications including sacrifice for sins; 'come in the flesh' = the Incarnation. Brian Zahnd is cited as an example of someone who subjectively asks Jesus whether Scripture is accurate. Winger argues that spirit cannot be from God because Christ as Messiah means his identity is tied to the truthfulness of the OT. Testing spirits vs. people are different activities; a verbal confession does not automatically validate everything a person teaches.