1 John 4–5

On Denying the Incarnation

4Dear friends,^s do not believe every spirit,^t but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{u 2}This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^v is from God,^{w 3}but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^x which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^y

⁴You, dear children,^z are from God and have overcome them,^a because the one who is in you^b is greater than the one who is in the world.^{c 5}They are from the world^d and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^e This is how we recognize the Spirit^a of truth^f and the spirit of falsehood.^g

God’s Love and Ours

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another,^h for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of Godⁱ and knows God.^{j 8}Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.^{k 9}This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^l into the world that we might live through him.^{m 10}This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved usⁿ and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.^{o 11}Dear friends,^p since God so loved us,^q we also ought to love one another.^{r 12}No one has ever seen God;^s but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.^t

¹³This is how we know^u that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.^{v 14}And we have seen and testify^w that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.^{x 15}If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,^y God lives in them and they in God.^{z 16}And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.^a Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.^{b 17}This is how love is made complete^c among us so that we will have confidence^d on the day of judgment:^e In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,^f because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because he first loved us.^{g 20}Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister^h is a liar.ⁱ For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,^j cannot love God, whom they have not seen.^{k 21}And he has given us this command:^l Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.^m

Faith in the Incarnate Son of God

5Everyone who believesⁿ that Jesus is the Christ^o is born of God,^p and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.^{q 2}This is how we know^r that we love the children of God:^s by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.^t And his commands are not burdensome,^{u 4}for everyone born of God^v overcomes^w the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.^x

⁶This is the one who came by water and blood^y—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.^{z 7}For there are three^a that testify: ⁸the^a Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹We accept human testimony,^b but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God,^c which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.^d Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,^e because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life,^f and this life is in his Son.^{g 12}Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.^h

Concluding Affirmations

¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of Godⁱ so that you may know that you have eternal life.^{j 14}This is the confidence^k we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.^{l 15}And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know^m that we have what we asked of him.ⁿ

¹⁶If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life.^o I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death.^p I am not saying that you should pray about that.^{q 17}All wrongdoing is sin,^r and there is sin that does not lead to death.^s

¹⁸We know that anyone born of God^t does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one^u cannot harm them.^{v 19}We know that we are children of God,^w and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.^{x 20}We know also that the Son of God has come^y and has given us understanding,^z so that we may know him who is true.^a And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.^b

²¹Dear children,^c keep yourselves from idols.^d