1 John 4

On Denying the Incarnation

Dear friends,^a do not believe every spirit,^b but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^c This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^d is from God,^e but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^f which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^g

You, dear children,^h are from God and have overcome them,ⁱ because the one who is in you^j is greater than the one who is in the world.^k They are from the world^l and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^m This is how we recognize the Spirit of truthⁿ and the spirit of falsehood.^o

God’s Love and Ours

Dear friends, let us love one another,^a for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God^b and knows God.^c Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.^d This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^e into the world that we might live through him.^f This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us^g and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.^h Dear friends,ⁱ since God so loved us,^j we also ought to love one another.^k No one has ever seen God;^l but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.^m

This is how we knowⁿ that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.^o And we have seen and testify^p that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.^q If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,^r God lives in them and they in God.^s And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.^t Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.^u This is how love is made complete^v among us so that we will have confidence^w on the day of judgment:^x In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,^y because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.^z If we say we love God yet hate a brother or sister,^a we are liars.^b For if we do not love a fellow believer, whom we have seen,^c we cannot love God, whom we have not seen.^d And he has given us this command:^e Those who love God must also love one another.^f