1 John

4 Beloved! not in every spirit believe ye, But test the spirits whether they are of God; Because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 Hereby do ye perceive the Spirit of God:—Every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ as having come in flesh Is of God;

3 And every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Of God is not. And this is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, Touching which ye have heard that it cometh: Even now is it in the world already.

4 Ye are of God, dear children, and have overcome them; Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: For this cause of the world they speak, And the world unto them doth hearken.

6 We are of God: He that is getting to understand God hearkeneth unto us,—Whoso is not of God hearkeneth not unto us: From this perceive we—The spirit of truth And the spirit of error.

7 Beloved! let us be loving one another; Because love is of God, And whosoever loveth Of God hath been born And is getting to understand God:

8 He that doth not love Doth not understand God, Because God is love.

9 Herein hath the love of God in us been made manifest, That his only-begotten Son God sent into the world, In order that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love: Not that we have loved God, But that he loved us And sent forth his Son as a propitiation concerning our sins.

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

12 Upon God hath no one at any time gazed: If we love one another God in us abideth, And his love hath been perfected within us.

13 Hereby perceive we—That in him are we abiding, And he in us,—In that of his Spirit hath he given unto us.

14 And we for ourselves have gazed, and are bearing witness—That the Father sent forth the Son as Saviour of the world.

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus [Christ] is the Son of God God in him abideth And he in God.

16 And we have come to understand and to trust the love which God hath in us. God is love; And he that abideth in love in God abideth, And God in him [abideth].

17 Herein hath love with us been made perfect,—In order that boldness we might have in the day of judging,—In that just as He is We also are in this world.

18 Fear existeth not in love, But perfect love casteth fear outside; Because fear hath correction: He that feareth hath not been made perfect in love.

19 We love, because he first loved us:—

20 If one should say I love God and should be hating his brother false is he; For he that doth not love his brother whom he hath seen God whom he hath not seen he cannot love!

21 And this commandment have we from him,—That he who loveth God love his brother also.