Testing the Spirits

1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2In this you⁺ know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh is of God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus† is not of God, and this is that of the antichrist, which you⁺ heard that is coming, and now is already in the world.

4You⁺ are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is the One in you⁺ than the one in the world. 5They are of the world; because of this they speak from out of the world, and the world hears them. 6We are of God. The one knowing God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the Spirit† of truth and the spirit of error.

Love Comes from God

7Beloved, may we love one another, because love is of God; and everyone loving has been born of God and knows God. 8The one not loving has not known God, because God is love.

9In this the love of God was made manifest among us,† that God has sent His only begotten† Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation† for our sins.

11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has seen God at any time; if we may love one another, God remains in us, and His love is having been perfected in us. 13In this we know that we remain in Him and He in us: because from out of His Spirit He has given to us. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

15Whoever should confess that Jesus† is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16And we have known and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one remaining in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17In this, love has been perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as He is, also are we in this world.

18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment; and the one fearing has not been perfected in love. 19We love† because He first loved us.

20If anyone should say, “I love God,” and should hate his brother, he is a liar. For the one not loving his brother, whom he has seen, is not able to love God, whom he has not seen.† 21And this commandment we have from Him, that the one loving God should love his brother also.

Footnotes:

3 BYZ and TR Jesus Christ having come in the flesh
6 Or spirit
9 Or in us
9 Or one and only or unique
10 Or as an atoning sacrifice
15 WH Jesus Christ
19 BYZ and TR We love Him
20 BYZ and TR how can he love God, whom he has not seen?