Logos Bible Study

1 John 4–5

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CHAPTER 4

Test the Spirits

1aBeloved, do not believe every bspirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because cmany false prophets have gone out into the world.

2By this you know the Spirit of God: aevery spirit that bconfesses that cJesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3and every spirit that adoes not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the bantichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and cnow it is already in the world.

4You are from God, alittle children, and bhave overcome them; because cgreater is He who is in you than dhe who is in the world.

5aThey are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world hears them.

6aWe are from God. bThe one who knows God hears us; cthe one who is not from God does not hear us. From this we know dthe spirit of truth and ethe spirit of error.

God Is Love

7aBeloved, let us blove one another, for love is from God; and ceveryone who loves has been 1dborn of God and eknows God.

8The one who does not love does not know God, because aGod is love.

9By this the love of God was manifested 1ain us, that bGod has sent His 2only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

10In this is love, anot that we have loved God, but that bHe loved us and sent His Son to be cthe propitiation for our sins.

11aBeloved, if God so loved us, bwe also ought to love one another.

12aNo one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His blove is perfected in us.

13aBy this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

14We have beheld and abear witness that the Father has bsent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15aWhoever confesses that bJesus is the Son of God, God cabides in him, and he in God.

16aAnd we have come to know and have believed the love which God has bin us. cGod is love, and the one who dabides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

17By this, alove has been perfected with us, so that we may have bconfidence in cthe day of judgment, because das He is, so also are we in this world.

18There is no fear in love; but aperfect love casts out fear, because fear 1involves punishment, and the one who fears is not bperfected in love.

19aWe love, because He first loved us.

20aIf someone says, “I love God,” and bhates his brother, he is a cliar; for dthe one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ecannot love God whom he has not seen.

21And athis commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God bshould love his brother also.

CHAPTER 5

Overcoming the World

1aEveryone who believes that Jesus is the 1Christ has been 2bborn of God, and everyone who loves the 3One who gives new birth cloves also the one who has been 4born of Him.

2aBy this we know that bwe love the children of God, when we love God and do His commandments.

3For athis is the love of God, that we bkeep His commandments; and cHis commandments are not burdensome.

4For everything that has been 1aborn of God bovercomes the world; and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world—our faith.

5Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who abelieves that Jesus is the Son of God?

6This is the One who came aby water and blood, Jesus Christ; not 1with the water only, but 2with the water and 3with the blood. It is bthe Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.

7For there are athree that bear witness:

81the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are 2in agreement.

9aIf we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that bHe has borne witness about His Son.

10The one who believes in the Son of God ahas this witness in himself. The one who does not believe God has bmade Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has borne witness about His Son.

11And the witness is this, that God gave us aeternal life, and bthis life is in His Son.

12aHe who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have that life.

That You May Know

13aThese things I have written to you who bbelieve in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have ceternal life.

14And this is athe confidence which we have 1before Him, that, bif we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, awe know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

16If anyone sees his brother 1committing a sin not leading to death, ahe shall ask and 2God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. bThere is a sin leading to death; cI do not say that he should make request for this.

17aAll unrighteousness is sin, and bthere is a sin not leading to death.

18aWe know that bno one who has been 1born of God sins; but He who was 2begotten of God ckeeps him, and dthe evil one does not etouch him.

19aWe know that bwe are of God, and that cthe whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

20And awe know that bthe Son of God has come, and has cgiven us understanding so that we may know dHim who is true; and we eare in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. fThis is the true God and geternal life.

21aLittle children, guard yourselves from bidols.

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Footnotes

  1. 1Or begotten
  2. 1Or in our case
  3. 2Or unique, only one of His kind
  4. 1Lit has
  5. 1Messiah
  6. 2Or begotten
  7. 3Lit one who begets
  8. 4Or begotten
  9. 1Or begotten
  10. 1Lit in
  11. 2Lit in
  12. 3Lit in
  13. 1A few late mss add … in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit
  14. 2Lit for the one thing
  15. 1Lit toward
  16. 1Lit sinning
  17. 2Or God will give him life, that is, to those who …
  18. 1Or begotten
  19. 2Or born

Cross references

  1. a3 John 11
  2. bJer 29:8; 1 Cor 12:10; 1 Thess 5:20f; 2 Thess 2:2
  3. cJer 14:14; 2 Pet 2:1; 1 John 2:18
  4. a1 Cor 12:3
  5. b1 John 2:23
  6. cJohn 1:14; 1 John 1:2
  7. a1 John 2:22; 2 John 7
  8. b1 John 2:18, 22
  9. c2 Thess 2:3–7; 1 John 2:18
  10. a1 John 2:1
  11. b1 John 2:13
  12. cRom 8:31; 1 John 3:20
  13. dJohn 12:31
  14. aJohn 15:19; 17:14, 16
  15. aJohn 8:23; 1 John 4:4
  16. bJohn 8:47; 10:3ff; 18:37
  17. c1 Cor 14:37
  18. dJohn 14:17
  19. e1 Tim 4:1
  20. a1 John 2:7
  21. b1 John 3:11
  22. c1 John 5:1
  23. d1 John 2:29
  24. e1 Cor 8:3; 1 John 2:3
  25. a1 John 4:7, 16
  26. aJohn 9:3; 1 John 4:16
  27. bJohn 3:16f; 1 John 4:10; 5:11
  28. aRom 5:8, 10; 1 John 4:19
  29. bJohn 3:16f; 1 John 4:9; 5:11
  30. c1 John 2:2
  31. a1 John 2:7
  32. b1 John 4:7
  33. aJohn 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; 1 John 4:20
  34. b1 John 2:5; 4:17f
  35. aRom 8:9; 1 John 3:24
  36. aJohn 15:27; 1 John 1:2
  37. bJohn 3:17; 4:42; 1 John 2:2
  38. a1 John 2:23
  39. bRom 10:9; 1 John 3:23; 4:2; 5:1, 5
  40. c1 John 2:24; 3:24
  41. aJohn 6:69
  42. bJohn 9:3; 1 John 4:9
  43. c1 John 4:7, 8
  44. d1 John 4:12f
  45. a1 John 2:5; 4:12
  46. b1 John 2:28
  47. cMatt 10:15
  48. dJohn 17:22; 1 John 2:6; 3:1, 7, 16
  49. aRom 8:15
  50. b1 John 4:12
  51. a1 John 4:10
  52. a1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4
  53. b1 John 2:9, 11
  54. c1 John 1:6
  55. d1 John 3:17
  56. e1 Pet 1:8; 1 John 4:12
  57. aLev 19:18; Matt 5:43f; 22:37ff; John 13:34
  58. b1 John 3:11
  59. a1 John 2:22f; 4:2, 15
  60. bJohn 1:3; 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 5:4, 18
  61. cJohn 8:42
  62. a1 John 2:5
  63. b1 John 3:14
  64. aJohn 14:15; 2 John 6
  65. b1 John 2:3
  66. cMatt 11:30; 23:4
  67. aJohn 1:13; 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 5:1, 18
  68. b1 John 2:13; 4:4
  69. a1 John 4:15; 5:1
  70. aJohn 19:34
  71. bMatt 3:16f; John 15:26; 16:13–15
  72. aMatt 18:16
  73. aJohn 5:34, 37; 8:18
  74. bMatt 3:17; John 5:32, 37
  75. aRom 8:16; Gal 4–6; Rev 12:17
  76. bJohn 3:18, 33; 1 John 1:10
  77. aJohn 3:36; 1 John 1:2; 2:25; 4:9; 5:13, 20
  78. bJohn 1:4
  79. aJohn 3:15f, 36
  80. aJohn 20:31
  81. b1 John 3:23
  82. c1 John 1:2; 2:25; 4:9; 5:11, 20
  83. a1 John 2:28; 3:21f
  84. bMatt 7:7; John 14:13; 1 John 3:22
  85. a1 John 5:18–20
  86. aJames 5:15
  87. bNum 15:30; Heb 6:4–6; 10:26
  88. cJer 7:16; 14:11
  89. a1 John 3:4
  90. b1 John 2:1f; 5:16
  91. a1 John 5:15, 19, 20
  92. b1 John 3:9
  93. cJames 1:27; Jude 21
  94. d1 John 2:13
  95. eJohn 14:30
  96. a1 John 5:15, 18, 20
  97. b1 John 4:6
  98. cJohn 12:31; 17:15; Gal 1:4
  99. a1 John 5:15, 18, 19
  100. bJohn 8:42; 1 John 5:5
  101. cLuke 24:45
  102. dJohn 17:3; Rev 3:7
  103. eJohn 1:18; 14:9; 1 John 2:23; Rev 3:7
  104. f1 John 1:2
  105. g1 John 5:11
  106. a1 John 2:1
  107. b1 Cor 10:7, 14; 1 Thess 1:9

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