1 John 4–5

Chapter 4

Testing 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 listens to them.

^6aWe are from God; ^bhe who knows God listens to us; ^che who is not from God does not listen to us. By 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 is ^1dborn of God and ^eknows God.

⁸The one who does not love does not know God, for ^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 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 seen 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 seen and ^atestify 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.

^16aWe have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^1bfor us. ^cGod is love, and the one who ^dabides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

¹⁷By this, ^alove is 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

^1aWhoever believes that Jesus is the ¹Christ is ^2bborn of God, and whoever loves the ³Father ^cloves the child born of Him.

^2aBy this we know that ^bwe love the children of God, when we love God and ¹observe His commandments.

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

⁴For whatever is ^1aborn of God ^bovercomes the world; and this is the victory 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 with the water and with the blood. It is ^bthe Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁷For there are ^athree that testify:

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

^9aIf we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that ^bHe has testified concerning His Son.

¹⁰The one who believes in the Son of God ^ahas the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has ^bmade Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

¹¹And the testimony is this, that God has given 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 the life.

This Is Written 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.

¹⁴This 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 is ¹born of God sins; but He who was born 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.