1 John 4

¹Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ²Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: ³and every spirit which confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spiritof the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already. ⁴Ye are of God, mylittle children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. ⁵They are of the world: therefore speak they asof the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. ⁷Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. ⁸He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ⁹Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. ¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: ¹³hereby know we that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to bethe Saviour of the world. ¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. ¹⁶And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. ¹⁷Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹We love, because he first loved us. ²⁰If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. ²¹And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.