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.

Do not believe every spirit, beloved, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets are 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,

By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from 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 which confesses him not, is not from God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming, and that now it is already 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.

My little children, you are of God and have conquered them; because he that is within you is greater than he that 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, and for this reason they speak as of 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.

But you are of God. He who is beginning to know God listens to us; he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we may distinguish 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.

Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loves us a child of God.

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

He who 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.

In this was the love of God clearly shown toward us, by his sending his only 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 that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.

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

If God so loved us, beloved, 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 man has ever gazed on God; but if we love one another, God ever 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.

By this we come to know that we are abiding in him, and he in us, because he has given us of 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 beheld and do testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour 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.

If any man confesses that "Jesus is the Son of God." God is abiding in that man, 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 do know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love; and he who is abiding in love is abiding in God, and God is abiding 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 is love made perfect with us, so that we may have cheerful confidence in the Day of Judgment, because we are living in this world as He lives.

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 does not exist in love; but love, when it is perfect, drives out fear. For fear has always torment, and he who has fear is not yet perfected in love.

19 We love because God first loved us.

We love because He loved us first.

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 any one says, "I love God," and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has not seen.

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

And we have this command from God. HE WHO LOVES GOD IS TO LOVE HIS BROTHER ALSO.