< 1 John 4 >
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
亲爱的朋友,不要相信所有灵,而是要对灵进行考验,看看这些灵是否出于上帝,因为已有许多假先知来到这世界。
2 By this you will know the Spirit of God—every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
你们如何识别上帝的灵?凡是承认耶稣基督以人类的身形来到这世界,那灵就是来自上帝。
3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.
那些不接受耶稣的灵,就不是来自上帝。事实上,这样的灵是反基督的灵,你们听过他要来,现在他已经来到这世界。
4 You are from God, dear children, and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
但你们属于上帝,并且已经胜过他们,因为在你们之中的那一位,远比已在这世上的那一位更伟大。
5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.
他们属于这个世界,所以都用着这个世界的说话方式,这个世界也就听他们的。
6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us. He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
我们属于上帝,认识上帝的就会听我们的,不属于上帝的就不会听我们的。通过这种方式,我们就可以辨别真理的灵和谬误的灵。
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God.
亲爱的朋友们,让我们继续彼此相爱,因为爱来自上帝。爱其他人,你就是上帝所生,就认识上帝。
8 The person who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
不爱其他人,就不认识上帝,因为上帝就是爱。
9 Because of this the love of God was revealed among us, that God has sent his only Son into the world so that we would live because of him.
上帝如何向我们显明爱?上帝派他唯一的独子来到这个世界,要让我们可以借着他而活;
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and that he sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
这就是爱!不是我们爱上帝,而是上帝爱我们,派他的儿子与我们的罪达成和解,
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also should love one another.
朋友们,如果上帝就是通过这种方式爱我们,我们也应当以这种方式彼此相爱。
12 No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is perfected in us.
没有人曾见过上帝。但如果我们彼此相爱,上帝就住在我们之中,他的爱就会在我们中得以实现。
13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us some of his Spirit.
我们如何知道我们住在他之中,他也住在我们之中?因为他给了我们通过他的灵去爱的能力。
14 Also, we have seen and have borne witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
因为我们就是我们所见之事的见证人,见证父派子作为这世界的救世主。
15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.
凡是宣称耶稣是上帝之子的人,上帝就住在他们之中,他们也住在上帝之中。
16 Also, we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in this love remains in God, and God remains in him.
我们已经经历并相信上帝对我们的爱。上帝就是爱,活在爱之中的人,活在上帝之中的人,上帝也活在他们之中。
17 Because of this, this love has been made perfect among us, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because as he is, just so are we in this world.
这就是爱让我们完整的方式,这样我们就可以在审判日充满信心:因为我们在这个世界上的生活,就像他一样。
18 There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love throws out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. But the one who fears has not been made perfect in love.
有爱的地方就没有恐惧。上帝给了我们全部的爱,这种爱驱散了我们所有恐惧。如果我们害怕,那是因为我们害怕受到惩罚,这表明我们还没有完全被上帝全部的爱所改造。
19 We love because God first loved us.
我们爱,是因为上帝先爱我们。
20 If anyone says, “I love God” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
如果有人说“我爱上帝”,却恨其他基督徒兄弟姐妹,那这个人就是在说谎。如果不爱他们所看到的兄弟,就无法爱那看不见的上帝。
21 Also, this is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his own brother.
爱上帝的人,也应当爱他的兄弟姐妹,这就是上帝给我们的命令。