1 John 4:1–8

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits m to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has n come in the flesh o is from God. p 3 But every spirit who does not confess Jesus q is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; r you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you s is greater than the one who is in the world. t 5 They are from the * world. u Therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; v anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception. w

Knowing God through Love

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God x and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.