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 trust every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets 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,

This is the way to recognize the Spirit of God: those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as come in the flesh have God’s Spirit,

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.

while a spirit that doesn’t acknowledge Jesus isn’t from God. Instead it is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that it was coming, and it is now 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.

You, my children, come from God, and you have successfully resisted such people as these, because he who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

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

Those people belong to the world and therefore they speak as the world speaks, and the world listens to them.

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.

We come from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; the person who does not come from God does not listen to us. This is how we distinguish the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

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, because love comes from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

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

Those who do not love know nothing of God, for 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.

This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live 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 what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that 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, since God loved us in this way, we should 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 seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love reaches perfection within us.

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

We know that we live in him, and he lives in us, because he has given us a measure of his Spirit.

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

Moreover, we have seen for ourselves and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior 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 Christ is the Son of God, God lives in them, and they live in 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 so we have come to know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love; and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them.

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.

This is the way love has reached its perfection among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Christ.

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.

There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. So anyone who is afraid has not reached perfection in 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 someone says ‘I love God,’ and yet hates others, they are a liar. For the person who does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

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

Indeed, we have this command from Christ: Those who love God must also love each other.