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.

Beloved, don’t believe 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 how you know God’s Spirit: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 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.

Every spirit that fails to acknowledge Jesus isn’t from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now 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.

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater 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 from the world, therefore they talk like they are from the world, 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 are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and 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.

Beloved, let us sincerely love one another, for sincere love is from God, and everyone who sincerely loves is born of God and knows God.

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

The one who doesn’t sincerely love doesn’t know God, for God is sincere 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.

The sincere love of God was manifested in us by this, that God has sent His only born Son into the world so 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.

In this is sincere love: not that we sincerely loved God, but that He sincerely loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

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

Beloved, if God sincerely loved us like this, we ought to sincerely love one another, too.

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 sincerely love one another, God lives in us and His sincere love is made complete in us.

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

This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

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

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

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

God lives in whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, and that person lives 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.

We have come to know and have believed the sincere love which God has for us. God is sincere love. One who lives in sincere love lives in God, and God lives in 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.

Sincere love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have confident boldness on the judgment day, because as He is, so are we in this 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.

There is no fear in sincere love, but perfect, sincere love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment. But whoever fears has not been made perfect in sincere love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

We sincerely love, because He first sincerely 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 sincerely love God,” and hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. If someone doesn’t sincerely love a brother or sister he has seen, how can he sincerely love God whom he hasn’t seen?

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

This commandment we have from Him: that whoever sincerely loves God must sincerely love his brothers and sisters, too.