Iohannis I 4
1 Charissimi, nolite omni spiritui credere, sed probate spiritus si ex Deo sint: quoniam multi pseudoprophetae exierunt in mundum.
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 in hoc cognoscitur spiritus Dei: omnis spiritus qui confitetur Iesum Christum in carne venisse, ex Deo est:
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 et omnis spiritus, qui solvit Iesum, ex Deo non est, et hic est Antichristus, de quo audistis quoniam venit, et nunc iam in mundo est.
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 Vos ex Deo estis filioli, et vicistis eum, quoniam maior est qui in vobis est, quam qui in mundo.
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 Ipsi de mundo sunt: ideo de mundo loquuntur, et mundus eos audit.
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 Nos ex Deo sumus. Qui novit Deum, audit nos: qui non est ex Deo, non audit nos: in hoc cognoscimus Spiritum veritatis, et spiritum erroris.
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 Charissimi, diligamus nos invicem: quia charitas ex Deo est. Et omnis, qui diligit, ex Deo natus est, et cognoscit Deum.
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 Qui non diligit, non novit Deum: quoniam Deus charitas est.
He who is destitute of love has never had any knowledge of God; because God is love.
9 In hoc apparuit charitas Dei in nobis, quoniam Filium suum unigenitum misit Deus in mundum, ut vivamus per eum.
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 hoc est charitas: non quasi nos dilexerimus Deum, sed quoniam ipse prior dilexit nos, et misit Filium suum propitiationem pro peccatis nostris.
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 Charissimi, si sic Deus dilexit nos: et nos debemus alterutrum diligere.
Dear friends, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 Deum nemo vidit umquam. Si diligamus invicem, Deus in nobis manet, et charitas eius in nobis perfecta est.
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 In hoc cognoscimus quoniam in eo manemus, et ipse in nobis: quoniam de Spiritu sancto suo dedit nobis.
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 Et nos vidimus, et testificamur quoniam Pater misit Filium suum Salvatorem mundi.
And we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Quisquis confessus fuerit quoniam Iesus est Filius Dei, Deus in eo manet, et ipse in Deo.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God--God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with God.
16 Et nos cognovimus, et credidimus charitati, quam habet Deus in nobis. Deus charitas est: et qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo.
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 hoc perfecta est charitas Dei nobiscum, ut fiduciam habeamus in die iudicii: quia sicut ille est, et nos sumus in hoc mundo.
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 Timor non est in charitate: sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem, quoniam timor poenam habet. qui autem timet, non est perfectus in charitate.
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 Nos ergo diligamus Deum, quoniam Deus prior dilexit nos.
We love because God first loved us.
20 Si quis dixerit quoniam diligo Deum, et fratrem suum oderit, mendax est. Qui enim non diligit fratrem suum quem vidit, Deum, quem non vidit, quomodo potest diligere?
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 Et hoc mandatum habemus a Deo: ut qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum.
And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.
