1 John 4

1 Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 The Spirit of God may be known in this way. Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh is of God;

This is how you know God’s Spirit: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

3 and every spirit who contradicts Jesus is not of God. And this one is the Antichrist, the one that you have heard is coming, and even now he is in the world.

Every spirit that fails to acknowledge Jesus isn’t from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world.

4 Little sons, you are of God, and so you have overcome him. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world. Therefore, they speak about the world, and the world listens to them.

They are from the world, therefore they talk like they are from the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are of God. Whoever knows God, listens to us. Whoever is not of God, does not listen to us. In this way, we know the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7 Most beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

Beloved, let us sincerely love one another, for sincere love is from God, and everyone who sincerely loves is born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love, does not know God. For God is love.

The one who doesn’t sincerely love doesn’t know God, for God is sincere love.

9 The love of God was made apparent to us in this way: that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

The sincere love of God was manifested in us by this, that God has sent His only born Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love: not as if we had loved God, but that he first loved us, and so he sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins.

In this is sincere love: not that we sincerely loved God, but that He sincerely loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Most beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Beloved, if God sincerely loved us like this, we ought to sincerely love one another, too.

12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

No one has ever seen God, but if we sincerely love one another, God lives in us and His sincere love is made complete in us.

13 In this way, we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he has given to us from his Spirit.

This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

14 And we have seen, and we testify, that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

15 Whoever has confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

God lives in whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, and that person lives in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love. And he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him.

We have come to know and have believed the sincere love which God has for us. God is sincere love. One who lives in sincere love lives in God, and God lives in him.

17 In this way, the love of God is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment. For as he is, so also are we, in this world.

Sincere love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have confident boldness on the judgment day, because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 Fear is not in love. Instead, perfect love casts out fear, for fear pertains to punishment. And whoever fears is not perfected in love.

There is no fear in sincere love, but perfect, sincere love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But whoever fears has not been made perfect in sincere love.

19 Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.

We sincerely love, because He first sincerely loved us.

20 If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see?

If someone says, “I sincerely love God,” and hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. If someone doesn’t sincerely love a brother or sister he has seen, how can he sincerely love God whom he hasn’t seen?

21 And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother.

This commandment we have from Him: that whoever sincerely loves God must sincerely love his brothers and sisters, too.