1 John 4

1 Dear friends, many people [who have a false message] are teaching it to people [MTY]. So do not trust every [message that someone claims/says that God’s] Spirit [MTY] [gave to him]. Instead, (test/think carefully about) the teachings that [you hear] in order to know whether they are from God or not.

Dearely beloued, beleeue not euery spirit, but trie the spirits whether they are of God: for many false prophets are gone out into this worlde.

2 [I will tell] you how to recognize [teachings that come from] the Spirit of God: Those who affirm/say that Jesus Christ came [from God] to become a human [like us] are [teaching a message] that is from God.

Hereby shall ye know the Spirit of God, Euery spirit which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God.

3 But those who do not affirm/say [that about] Jesus are not [teaching a message] from God. [They are teachers who] oppose Christ. You have heard that people like that are coming [to be among us]. Even now they are already here!

And euery spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God: but this is the spirit of Antichrist, of whome ye haue heard, how that he should come, and nowe already he is in this world.

4 As for you who are very dear to me, you belong to God, and you have refused [the false messages] that those people [teach], because [God], who enables you [to do what he wants], is (greater/more powerful) than ([Satan/the devil]), who enables (godless people/people who conduct their lives in a way that displeases God) [MTY].

Litle children, ye are of God, and haue ouercome them: for greater is he that is in you, then he that is in this world.

5 As for [those who are teaching what is false], they are (godless people/people whose lives are displeasing to God) [MTY]. Because of that, they teach what (godless people/people whose lives are displeasing to God) [MTY] want to hear. That is why the (godless people/people whose lives displease God) [MTY] listen to them.

They are of this worlde, therefore speake they of this world, and this world heareth them.

6 As for us [(exc)], [because] we belong to God, whoever (knows/has a close relationship with) God listens to us. [But] those who do not belong to God do not listen to us. That is how we can know whether [the things that people are teaching] [MTY] are true or whether they are false, and deceiving [people].

We are of God, he that knoweth God, heareth vs: he that is not of God, heareth vs not. Heereby knowe wee the spirit of trueth, and the spirit of errour.

7 Dear friends, we must love each other, because God [enables us] to love [each other], and because those who love [their fellow believers] have become God’s children and (know/have a close relationship with) him.

Beloued, let vs loue one another: for loue commeth of God, and euery one that loueth, is borne of God, and knoweth God.

8 God’s [nature] is to love [all people]. So those who do not love [their fellow believers] do not (know/have a relationship with) God.

Hee that loueth not, knoweth not God: for God is loue.

9 I will tell you how God has shown us [that he] loves us: He sent (his only Son/the only one who was also God) [to live] on the earth to enable us to live [eternally] as a result of [our trusting in what] he [accomplished for us by dying for us].

Herein was that loue of God made manifest amongst vs, because God sent that his onely begotten sonne into this world, that we might liue through him.

10 [And God] has shown [us what it means to] love [another person]: [It does] not [mean] that we loved God, but [it means] that God loved us and sent (his Son/the one who was also God) to sacrifice [his life] in order that [our sins might be forgiven] {[he might forgive] our sins}.

Herein is that loue, not that we loued God, but that he loued vs, and sent his Sonne to be a reconciliation for our sinnes.

11 Dear friends, since God loves us like that, we certainly ought to love each other!

Beloued, if God so loued vs, we ought also to loue one another.

12 No one has ever seen God. [Nevertheless], if we love each other, [it is evident that] God lives within us and that we love others just like he [intends/wants us to do].

No man hath seene God at any time. If we loue one another, God dwelleth in vs, and his loue is perfect in vs.

13 [I will tell you] how we can be sure that we have a close relationship with God and that God is within us: He has put his Spirit within us.

Hereby know we, that we dwell in him, and he in vs: because he hath giuen vs of his Spirit.

14 We [apostles] have seen (God’s Son/the one who is also God), and [we tell people] that the Father sent him to save [the people in] the world [MTY] [from being punished for their sins].

And we haue seene, and doe testifie, that the Father sent that Sonne to be ye Sauiour of the world.

15 [So] those who affirm/say that Jesus is the (Son of/one who is also) God, God is within them, and they have a close relationship with God.

Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus is the Sone of God, in him dwelleth God, and he in God.

16 We have experienced how God loves us and we believe that he loves us. [As a result, we love others. Because] God’s [nature] is to love people, those who continue to love [others] have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them.

And we haue knowen, and beleeued ye loue that God hath in vs. God is loue, and he that dwelleth in loue, dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 We [should] love others completely. And if we do that, when the time comes for [him to] judge us, we will be confident [that he will not condemn us] (OR, [that we have a close relationship with him]). [We will be confident of that] because of our [conducting our lives] in this world as Christ did.

Herein is that loue perfect in vs, that we should haue boldnes in the day of iudgement: for as he is, euen so are we in this world.

18 We will not be afraid [of God] if we [truly] love [him], because those who love [God] completely cannot possibly be afraid [of him]. [We would be] afraid only [if we thought that he would] punish us. So those who are afraid [of God certainly] are not loving [God] completely.

There is no feare in loue, but perfect loue casteth out feare: for feare hath painefulnesse: and he that feareth, is not perfect in loue.

19 We love [God and our fellow believers] because God loved us first.

We loue him, because he loued vs first.

20 [So] those who say “I love God” but hate a fellow believer are lying. Those who do not love one of their fellow believers, whom they have seen, certainly cannot be loving God, whom they have not seen.

If any man say, I loue God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for how can he that loueth not his brother whom he hath seene, loue God whom he hath not seene?

21 Keep in mind that this is what God has commanded us: If we love him, we must also love our fellow believers.

And this commandement haue we of him, that he that loueth God, should loue his brother also.