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, believe not every Spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God: for many false prophets are 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 ye may know the Spirit of God: every Spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ, who is 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 that doth not confess Jesus Christ, who is come in the flesh, is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, which ye have heard was coming, and is already in the world.

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.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He, that is in you, than he that 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 as men of the world, and the world heareth 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, that knoweth God, heareth us; but he, who is not of God, heareth not 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 from God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

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

He, that loveth not, knoweth not 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.

In this was the love of God manifested towards us, that God sent his only-begotten 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.

Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation 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 so loved us, we ought also 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 hath ever seen God: but if we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is 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 are in Him, and He in us; because He hath 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.

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

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

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth 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.

And we have known and believed the love which God hath towards us: for God is love; and he, that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God 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.

Herein is love perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; for as He is, we also are 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 casteth out fear; because fear hath torment; but he that feareth is not perfected in love.

19 We love because he loved us first.

We love Him, because He first loved us. If any one say,

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.

I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for how can he, that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, love God whom he hath not seen?

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

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