1 John 4

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

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.

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

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,

3 and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

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.

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

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.

5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

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.

6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

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.

7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

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.

8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

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

9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him.

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.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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.

11 Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

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

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

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.

13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

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.

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

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

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

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

16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

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.

17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world.

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.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

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.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

We love because God first loved us.

20 If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

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.

21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

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