1 John 4

1 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.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus (the) Messiah has come in the flesh is of God,

3 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.

and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is that of the antimessiah, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

4 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.

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

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

They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

6 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.

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

7 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.

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

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

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 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.

By this God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 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.

In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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

Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

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

No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

13 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.

By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

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

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

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

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.

16 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.

We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

17 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.

In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.

18 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.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he loved us first.

We love, because he first loved us.

20 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.

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

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

This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.