1 John 4
Believers must test the spirits to see if they are of God, as many false prophets have gone out into the world. A spirit is of God if it confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh, and those who are of God will overcome the Antichrist. The love of God is demonstrated by loving one another, and those who do not love do not know God. God's love was shown by sending his Son as a propitiation for sins, and believers must also love one another as God first loved them.
1Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world2The Spirit of God may be known in this way. Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has arrived in the flesh is of God3and every spirit who contradicts Jesus is not of God. And this one is the Antichrist, the one that you have heard is coming, and even now he is in the world4Little sons, you are of God, and so you have overcome him. For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world5They are of the world. Therefore, they speak about the world, and the world listens to them6We are of God. Whoever knows God, listens to us. Whoever is not of God, does not listen to us. In this way, we know the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error7Most beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God8Whoever does not love, does not know God. For God is love9The love of God was made apparent to us in this way: that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through him10In this is love: not as if we had loved God, but that he first loved us, and so he sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins11Most beloved, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another12No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us13In this way, we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he has given to us from his Spirit14And we have seen, and we testify, that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world15Whoever has confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God16And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love. And he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him17In this way, the love of God is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment. For as he is, so also are we, in this world18Fear is not in love. Instead, perfect love casts out fear, for fear pertains to punishment. And whoever fears is not perfected in love19Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.20If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see21And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother
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