1 John 4
4
1Beloved, every spirit believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false prophets have gone forth to the world;
2in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is,
3and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it doth come, and now in the world it is already.
4Ye — of God ye are, little children, and ye have overcome them; because greater is He who [is] in you, than he who is in the world.
5They — of the world they are; because of this from the world they speak, and the world doth hear them;
6we — of God we are; he who is knowing God doth hear us; he who is not of God, doth not hear us; from this we know the spirit of the truth, and the spirit of the error.
7Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;
8he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.
9In this was manifested the love of God in us, because His Son — the only begotten — hath God sent to the world, that we may live through him;
10in this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did send His Son a propitiation for our sins.
11Beloved, if thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love;
12God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us;
13in this we know that in Him we do remain, and He in us, because of His Spirit He hath given us.
14And we — we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son — Saviour of the world;
15whoever may confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him doth remain, and he in God;
16and we — we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in him.
17In this made perfect hath been the love with us, that boldness we may have in the day of the judgment, because even as He is, we — we also are in this world;
18fear is not in the love, but the perfect love doth cast out the fear, because the fear hath punishment, and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in the love;
19we — we love him, because He — He first loved us;
20if any one may say — ‘I love God,’ and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God — whom he hath not seen — how is he able to love?
21and this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.
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1 John 4: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
1 John 4
4
Testing the Spirits
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. 2By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source]; 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus [acknowledging that He has come in the flesh, but would deny any of the Son’s true nature] is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. 4Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind]. 5They [who teach twisted doctrine] are of the world and belong to it; therefore they speak from the [viewpoint of the] world [with its immoral freedom and baseless theories—demanding compliance with their opinions and ridiculing the values of the upright], and the [gullible people of the] world listen closely and pay attention to them. 6We [who teach God’s word] are from God [energized by the Holy Spirit], and whoever knows God [through personal experience] listens to us [and has a deeper understanding of Him]. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know [without any doubt] the spirit of truth [motivated by God] and the spirit of error [motivated by Satan].
God Is Love
7Beloved, let us [unselfishly] #4:7 See note 2:10.love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. 8The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] 9By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath]. 11Beloved, if God so loved us [in this incredible way], we also ought to love one another. 12No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us. 13By this we know [with confident assurance] that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given to us His [Holy] Spirit. 14We [who were with Him in person] have seen and testify [as eye-witnesses] that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. 17In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]. 19We love, because #4:19 Because God bestowed on humanity a free will, man is not forced to love Him, but rather consciously and freely chooses the response he makes to God’s love.He first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should also [unselfishly] love his brother and seek the best for him.
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