1 John 4:1–5:21
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but atest the spirits, whether they are of God; because bmany false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: cEvery spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess 1that Jesus 2Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than dhe who is in the world. 5 eThey are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and fthe world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. gBy this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 hBeloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who iloves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 jIn this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten kSon into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, lnot that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son mto be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, nif God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 oNo one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 pBy this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And qwe have seen and testify that rthe Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 sWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the who abides in love abides in God, and God uin him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that vwe may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 wWe love 3Him because He first loved us.
20 xIf someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, 4how can he love God ywhom he has not seen? 21 And zthis commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
5 Whoever believes that aJesus is the Christ is bborn of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and ckeep His commandments. 3 dFor this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And eHis commandments are not burdensome. 4 For fwhatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that ghas overcome the world—1our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but hhe who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The Certainty of God’s Witness
6 This is He who came iby water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. jAnd it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness 2in heaven: the Father, kthe Word, and the Holy Spirit; land these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: mthe Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
9 If we receive nthe witness of men, the witness of God is greater; ofor this is the witness of 3God which He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God phas the witness in himself; he who does not believe God qhas made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 rHe who has the Son has 4life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have 4life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, 5and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Confidence and Compassion in Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that sif we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and tHe will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. uThere is sin leading to death. vI do not say that he should pray about that. 17 wAll unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
Knowing the True—Rejecting the False
18 We know that xwhoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God ykeeps 6 7himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and zthe whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the aSon of God has come and bhas given us an understanding, cthat we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. dThis is the true God eand eternal life.