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1 John 4

Test the Spirits

1 Beloved ^ado not believe every spirit, but ^btest the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ^cmany ^dfalse prophets ^ehave gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: ^fevery spirit that confesses that ^gJesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit ^hthat does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ⁱnow is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ^jhe who is in you is greater than ^khe who is in the world. 5 ^lThey are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ^mthe world listens to them. 6 We are from God. ⁿWhoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^othe Spirit of truth and ^pthe spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 Beloved ^qlet us love one another, for love is from God, and ^rwhoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 ^sAnyone who does not love does not know God, because ^tGod is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ^uGod sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, ^vnot that we have loved God ^wbut that he loved us and sent his Son to be ^xthe propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 ^yNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^zhis love is perfected in us.

13 ^aaBy this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And ^abwe have seen and testify that ^acthe Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of ^adthe world. 15 ^aeWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So ^afwe have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ^agGod is love, and ^ahwhoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this ^aiis love perfected with us, so that ^ajwe may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ^akas he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but ^alperfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ^ambeen perfected in love. 19 ^anWe love because he first loved us. 20 ^aoIf anyone says, “I love God,” and ^aphates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot ^{▼

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Some manuscripts how can he} love God ^arwhom he has not seen. 21 And ^asthis commandment we have from him: ^atwhoever loves God must also love his brother.