1 John 4

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Testing the Spirits

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

²By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

²In this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh is of God,

³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus^a is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.

³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God, and this is that of the antichrist, which you heard that is coming, and now is already in the world.

⁴You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is the One in you than the one in the world.

⁵They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.

⁵They are of the world; because of this they speak from out of the world, and the world hears them.

⁶We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit^a of truth and the spirit of deception.

⁶We are of God. The one knowing God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Love Comes from God

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

⁷Beloved, may we love one another, because love is of God; and everyone loving has been born of God and knows God.

⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

⁸The one not loving has not known God, because God is love.

⁹This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only^a Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

¹⁰And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice^a for our sins.

¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins.

¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

¹²No one has seen God at any time; if we may love one another, God remains in us, and His love is having been perfected in us.

¹³By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.

¹³In this we know that we remain in Him and He in us: because from out of His Spirit He has given to us.

¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

¹⁵If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

¹⁵Whoever should confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.

¹⁶And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

¹⁶And we have known and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one remaining in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

¹⁷In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him.

¹⁷In this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as He is, also are we in this world.

¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.

¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment; and the one fearing has not been perfected in love.

¹⁹We love^a because He first loved us.

¹⁹We love because He first loved us.

²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

²⁰If anyone should say, “I love God,” and should hate his brother, he is a liar. For the one not loving his brother, whom he has seen, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen.

²¹And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.

²¹And this commandment we have from Him, that the one loving God should love his brother also.