1MY beloved, do not believe every prophecy, but examine the prophecies to find out if they are of God: because many false prophets have appeared in the world. 2The Spirit of God is known by this: Every prophecy which declares that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God. 3And every prophecy which does not declare that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God: but it is the prophecy of the false Christ, of whose coming you have heard, and who is even now already in the world. 4But you are of God, my children, and have overcome them: because he who is among you is greater than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world; therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6But we are of God: he who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7My beloved, let us love one another: for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God, and knows God. 8He who does not love, does not know God; for God is love. 9By this was the love of God toward us made known, for God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11My beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us; 13Hereby we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16And we have believed and have known the love that God has for us. God is love; and he who dwells in love, abides in God. 17Herein is his love made perfect in us, so that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear is tormenting. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love God because he first loved us. 20If a man say, I love God, and yet hates his brother, he is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21And this commandment we have from him, That he who loves God loves his brother also.