1 John 4

1 Beloved! not in every spirit, believe ye, but test the spirits, whether they are, of God; because, many false prophets, have 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 Hereby, do ye perceive the Spirit of God: —every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ as having come, in 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 doth not confess Jesus, of God, is not. And, this, is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, touching which ye have heard that it cometh: even now, is it, in the world, already.

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 Ye, are, of God, dear children, and have overcome them; 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: For this cause, of the world, they speak, and the world, unto them, doth hearken.

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 is getting to understand God, hearkeneth unto us, —whoso is not of God, hearkeneth not unto us: from this, perceive we—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 Beloved! let us be loving one another; because, love, is, of God, and, whosoever loveth, of God, hath been born, and is getting to understand 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 doth not love, doth not understand God, because, God, is, love.

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

9 Herein, hath the love of God in us, been made manifest, that, his only-begotten Son, God sent into the world, in order that we might live through 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 Herein, is love: not that, we, have loved God, but that, he, loved us, and sent forth his Son, as a propitiation concerning 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 Beloved! If, in this way, God, 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 Upon God, hath no one, at any time, gazed: If we love one another, God, in us, abideth, and, his love, hath been perfected within 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 Hereby, perceive we—that, in him, are we abiding, and, he, in us, —in that, of his Spirit, hath he given unto us.

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, for ourselves have gazed, and are bearing witness—that, the Father, sent forth the Son, as 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 [Christ] is the Son of God, God, in him, abideth, 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 come to understand and to trust the love which, God, hath, in us. God, is, love; and, he that abideth in love, in God, abideth, and, God, in him [abideth].

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 Herein, hath love with us, been made perfect, —in order that, boldness, we might have in the day of judging, —in that, just 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, existeth not, in love, but, perfect love, casteth fear, outside; because, fear, hath correction: he that feareth, hath not been made perfect, in love.

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 We, love, because, he, first loved us: —

We love because he loved us first.

20 If one should say, I love God, and should be hating, his brother, false, is he; for, he that doth not love his brother, whom he hath seen, God, whom he hath not seen, he cannot love!

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, have we from him, —that, he who loveth God, love, his brother also.

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