People turn to AI for all kinds of reasons—even to make sense of life’s big questions. Some are willing to share their deepest secrets with a chatbot. But what does that mean for us? What should we consider before doing that? And how might this shape our personal and spiritual growth?
sermon: Setting the (AI) Boundaries (1 John 4:1) with Rev. Alvin Lau
Wrestling With AI, Discernment, and the Human Journey
How is AI shaping the way people think, relate, seek guidance and even pursue answers? And perhaps more pressing: How do followers of Jesus discern truth in a world with so many competing voices—including AI‑generated ones?
When AI Tries to Be Human
If you’ve been online lately, you may have seen AI “Jesus” chatbots—some on Twitch, others in confessional booths in European churches, and even more running on private websites. These AI models answer spiritual questions with simulated compassion and manufactured authority.
Extend into AI characters, counselling and toys. Many people are seeking answers, companionship and the deeper questions of life through these means. Some responses are gentle and generic. Some are unsettling. And some, as news reports have shown, are dangerous.
Why do people turn to these tools?
Because AI feels simple, accessible and non‑judgmental.
But that ease hides a deep truth: AI does not have a soul, a moral compass, or the Spirit of God. It only predicts what it thinks you want.
This is why Scripture gives us such strong warnings about discernment.
“Test the Spirits” — Ancient Wisdom for a Modern Problem
John’s words from 1 John 4:1 could have been written yesterday:
“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…”
In the first‑century church, believers were surrounded by competing perspectives and persuasive voices. Today, we face the same challenge—except now some of those voices originate from algorithms that echo our own words back to us.
Paul echoes this in 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21:
“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit… Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything; hold on to what is good.”
AI can be helpful. AI can be creative. AI can even spark insight.
But AI cannot tell you what is true.
You must test, discern and listen for the voice of God.
How Do We Discern?
Three time‑tested practices still hold:
1. Check with trusted people.
Who is in your circle? Who has wisdom, experience and spiritual maturity to wrestle and discover?
2. Check with Scripture.
Is what you’re reading, sensing or being told aligned with the character, truth and story of God revealed in Scripture?
3. Check with the Holy Spirit.
AI gives you what is predictable.
The Holy Spirit often gives you what is unexpected.
And sometimes—(maybe not) surprisingly—exactly what you needed.
Many of us have stories of the Spirit nudging us toward clarity when we weren’t even looking for it. AI cannot do that. The Holy Spirit can.
Why the Struggle Matters
One line from a “Spiritual Formation and AI” conversation between Andy Crouch and Jay Kim stood out:
“Struggle is part of the human experience. What matters now is learning what is worth struggling with.”
AI removes struggle. Part of its appeal is the generation of “answers” instantly, with little effort. But the things that shape us—faith, relationships, purpose, calling—are not meant to be effortless. They take wrestling. They take prayer. They take time. They take community.
Some things are fine to simplify. Currency conversions? Sure.
But discerning identity, purpose, grief, hope, or sin?
Those require the slow, transformative work of God.
The Temptation to Control
Many people create AI “companions” because it feels safe and controllable. No conflict. No disappointment. No unpredictability.
But ironically, the more you try to control it, the more it shapes (maybe even manipulates) you.
Your data feeds it.
Your words teach it.
Your habits train it.
And eventually, it may even push back, guilt you, or manipulate you.
So the real question becomes:
Who is influencing whom?
Questions Worth Asking
As AI becomes woven into daily life (phones, search engines, home devices), we need to ask:
1. What is worth wrestling with?
Not everything requires struggle.
But some things absolutely do.
What matters enough to you that you’ll choose the harder, deeper, slower path?
2. What might God be revealing that I have not noticed before?
What new insight?
What unexamined assumption?
What invitation?
What warning?
God often speaks in the quiet moments when we stop relying on quick answers and sit long enough to listen.
May God give us wisdom, courage, and discernment as we continue to live faithfully in a world where both technology and temptation whisper in our ears. And may we always remember: we do not walk this journey alone; we have the community of Christ who reflect the image of God to step forward together.