< 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 believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers 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.
The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God,
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.
and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is 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.
As for you, dear children, you are God's children, and have successfully resisted them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 And they are of the world: therefore they speak from the world, and the world heareth them.
They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.
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.
The man who is beginning to know God listens to us, but he who is not a child of God does not listen to us. By this test we can distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.
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; for love has its origin in God, and every one who loves has become a child of God and is beginning to know God.
8 Because God is love; and whoever loveth not, doth not know God.
He who is destitute of love has never had any knowledge of God; because 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.
God's love for us has been manifested in that He has sent His only Son into the world so that we may have Life 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 love indeed--we did not love God, but 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, if God has so loved us, we also ought to 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 yet seen God. If we love one another, God continues in union with us, and His love in all its perfection is in our hearts.
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 can know that we are continuing in union with Him and that He is continuing in union with us, by the fact that He has given us a portion of His Spirit.
14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father hath sent his Son, a Redeemer for the world.
And we have seen and bear witness 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 is the Son of God--God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with 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, as for us, we know the love which God has for us, and we confide in it. God is love, and he who continues to love continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him.
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.
Our love will be manifested in all its perfection by our having complete confidence on the day of the Judgement; because just what He is, we also are in the world.
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.
Love has in it no element of fear; but perfect love drives away fear, because fear involves pain, and if a man gives way to fear, there is something imperfect in his 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 any one says that he loves God, while he hates his brother man, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother man whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this command we have received from him, that whoever loveth God, must love also his brother.
And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.

< 1 John 4 >