1 John 4

1 Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Dear friends, don't trust every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to find out whether they're from God, for there are many false prophets out there in the world.

2 By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God:

How can you recognize God's Spirit? Every spirit that accepts Jesus Christ came with a human body is from God;

3 And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world.

while every spirit that doesn't accept Jesus, that spirit isn't from God. In fact it is the spirit of the antichrist which you heard was coming, and which is already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

But you belong to God, my friends, and you have defeated them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore of the world they speak, and the world heareth them.

They belong to the world, so they speak like people of the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us. He that is not of God, heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We belong to God and whoever knows God listens to us, while whoever doesn't belong to God doesn't listen to us. This is how we can distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of deception.

7 Dearly beloved, let us love one another, for charity is of God. And every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God.

Dear friends, let's go on loving one another, for love comes from God. All those who love are born of God and know God.

8 He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is charity.

Those who don't love don't know God, for God is love.

9 By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we may live by him.

How was God's love shown to us? God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could live through him.

10 In this is charity: not as though we had loved God, but because he hath first loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

This is love! It's not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and he sent his Son to be the reconciliation for our sins.

11 My dearest, if God hath so loved us; we also ought to love one another.

Friends, if this is the way God loves us, we ought to love one another like this too.

12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his charity is perfected in us.

No one has ever seen God. However, if we love one another then God lives in us, and his love is fulfilled in us.

13 In this we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he hath given us of his spirit.

How can we know that we live in him, and that he lives in us? He's given us the ability to love by his Spirit.

14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father hath sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

For we are witnesses to what we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son as the Savior of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.

God lives in everyone who declares that Jesus is the Son of God, and they live in God.

16 And we have known, and have believed the charity, which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.

We have experienced and trusted in the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.

17 In this is the charity of God perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment: because as he is, we also are in this world.

This is how love is made complete in us so that we can be confident on judgment day: by the fact that we live just like him in this world.

18 Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath pain. And he that feareth, is not perfected in charity.

Where there is love there can be no fear. God loves us completely, and this love drives all our fears away. If we do fear, it's because we fear being punished, and this shows that we have not been fully re-made by the completeness of God's love.

19 Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us.

We love because he loved us first.

20 If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?

Anyone who says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, is a liar. Anyone who doesn't love a brother whom they can see, can't love God whom they can't see.

21 And this commandment we have from God, that he, who loveth God, love also his brother.

This is the command he gave to us: those who love God love their brothers and sisters too.