1 John 4

1 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.

Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 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,

The Spirit of God may be known in this way. Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh is of God;

3 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.

and every spirit who contradicts Jesus is not of God. And this one is the Antichrist, the one that you have heard is coming, and even now he is in the world.

4 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.

Little sons, you are of God, and so you have overcome him. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

5 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.

They are of the world. Therefore, they speak about the world, and the world listens to them.

6 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.

We are of God. Whoever knows God, listens to us. Whoever is not of God, does not listen to us. In this way, we know the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

7 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.

Most beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 He who is destitute of love has never had any knowledge of God; because God is love.

Whoever does not love, does not know God. For God is love.

9 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.

The love of God was made apparent to us in this way: that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

10 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.

In this is love: not as if we had loved God, but that he first loved us, and so he sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins.

11 Dear friends, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Most beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 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.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 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.

In this way, we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he has given to us from his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

And we have seen, and we testify, that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God--God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with God.

Whoever has confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

16 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.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love. And he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him.

17 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.

In this way, the love of God is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment. For as he is, so also are we, in this world.

18 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.

Fear is not in love. Instead, perfect love casts out fear, for fear pertains to punishment. And whoever fears is not perfected in love.

19 We love because God first loved us.

Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.

20 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.

If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see?

21 And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.

And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother.