1 John 4

1 My beloved, believe not all spirits; but discriminate among spirits, whether they are of God: for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Dear friends, do not trust every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this the Spirit of God is known, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus the Messiah hath come in the flesh, is of God.

This is the way to recognise the Spirit of God: those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as come in the flesh have God’s Spirit,

3 And every spirit which confesseth not that Jesus the Messiah hath come in the flesh, is not of God; but he is of the false Messiah, of whom ye have heard that he cometh, and now is he already in the world.

while a spirit that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus isn’t from God. Instead it is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that it was coming, and it is now already in the world!

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

You, my children, come from God, and you have successfully resisted such people as these, because he who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

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

Those people belong to the world and therefore they speak as the world speaks, and the world listens to them.

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

We come from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; the person who does not come from God does not listen to us. This is how we distinguish the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

7 My beloved, let us love one another: because love is from God; and whoever loveth, is born of God and knoweth God.

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

8 Because God is love; and whoever loveth not, doth not know God.

Those who do not love know nothing of God, for God is love.

9 By this was the love of God towards us made known, because God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we by him might live.

This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 In this is love; it was not that we loved God, but that God loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.

This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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

Dear friends, since God loved us in this way, we should love one another.

12 No one hath ever seen God; but if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love reaches perfection within us.

13 And by this we know, that we abide in him and that he abideth in us, because he hath given of his Spirit to us.

We know that we live in him, and he lives in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father hath sent his Son, a Redeemer for the world.

Moreover, we have seen for ourselves and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 Whoever confesseth Jesus to be the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he abideth in God.

Whoever acknowledges that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they live in God.

16 And we have believed and known the love, which God hath towards us: for God is love, and whoever abideth in love, abideth in God.

And so we have come to know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love; and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them.

17 And hereby is his love perfected with us; that we may have open countenances in the day of judgment; because as he was, so also are we in this world.

This is the way love has reached its perfection among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Christ.

18 In love there is no fear; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear existeth in peril, and he that feareth is not perfected in love.

There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. So anyone who is afraid has not reached perfection in love.

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

We love, because God first loved us.

20 And if any one shall say, I love God, and yet hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother who is visible, how can he love God who is invisible?

If someone says “I love God,” and yet hates others, they are a liar. For the person who does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

21 And this command we have received from him, that whoever loveth God, must love also his brother.

Indeed, we have this command from Christ: Those who love God must also love each other.