a3 John 11
bJer 29:8; 1 Cor 12:10; 1 Thess 5:20f; 2 Thess 2:2
cJer 14:14; 2 Pet 2:1; 1 John 2:18
d1 Cor 12:3
e1 John 2:23
fJohn 1:14; 1 John 1:2
g1 John 2:22; 2 John 7
h1 John 2:18, 22
i2 Thess 2:3-7; 1 John 2:18
j1 John 2:1
k1 John 2:13
lRom 8:31; 1 John 3:20
mJohn 12:31
nJohn 15:19; 17:14, 16
oJohn 8:23; 1 John 4:4
pJohn 8:47; 10:3ff; 18:37
q1 Cor 14:37
rJohn 14:17
s1 Tim 4:1
t1 John 2:7
u1 John 3:11
v1 John 5:1
w1 John 2:29
x1 Cor 8:3; 1 John 2:3
y1 John 4:7, 16
aaJohn 9:3; 1 John 4:16
abJohn 3:16f; 1 John 4:10; 5:11
acRom 5:8, 10; 1 John 4:19
adJohn 3:16f; 1 John 4:9; 5:11
ae1 John 2:2
ag1 John 2:7
ah1 John 4:7
aiJohn 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16; 1 John 4:20
aj1 John 2:5; 4:17f
akRom 8:9; 1 John 3:24
alJohn 15:27; 1 John 1:2
amJohn 3:17; 4:42; 1 John 2:2
an1 John 2:23
aoRom 10:9; 1 John 3:23; 4:2; 5:1, 5
ap1 John 2:24; 3:24
aqJohn 6:69
asJohn 9:3; 1 John 4:9
at1 John 4:7, 8
au1 John 4:12f
av1 John 2:5; 4:12
aw1 John 2:28
axMatt 10:15
ayJohn 17:22; 1 John 2:6; 3:1, 7, 16
azRom 8:15
bb1 John 4:12
bc1 John 4:10
bd1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4
be1 John 2:9, 11
bf1 John 1:6
bg1 John 3:17
bh1 Pet 1:8; 1 John 4:12
biLev 19:18; Matt 5:43f; 22:37ff; John 13:34
bj1 John 3:11

1 John 4

Testing the Spirits

1 aBeloved, do not believe every bspirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because cmany false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: devery spirit that econfesses that fJesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3and every spirit that gdoes not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the hantichrist, which you have heard is coming, and inow it is already in the world. 4You are from God, jlittle children, and khave overcome them; because lgreater is He who is in you than mhe who is in the world. 5 nThey are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 oWe are from God. pThe one who knows God listens to us; qthe one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know rthe spirit of truth and sthe spirit of error.

God Is Love

7 tBeloved, let’s ulove one another; for love is from God, and veveryone who loves has been wborn of God and xknows God. 8The one who does not love does not know God, because yGod is love. 9By this the love of God was revealed ▼
▼Or among us; or in our case
 , aain us, that abGod has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. 10In this is love, acnot that we loved God, but that adHe loved us and sent His Son to be aethe ▼
▼I.e., means of reconciliation with God by atoning for sins; or sin-offering
propitiation for our sins. 11 agBeloved, if God so loved us, ahwe also ought to love one another. 12 aiNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His ajlove is perfected in us. 13 akBy this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. 14We have seen and altestify that the Father has amsent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 anWhoever confesses that aoJesus is the Son of God, God apremains in him, and he in God. 16 aqWe have come to know and have believed the love which God has ▼
▼Lit in
 , asfor us. atGod is love, and the one who auremains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17By this, avlove is perfected with us, so that we may have awconfidence in axthe day of judgment; because ayas He is, we also are in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but azperfect love drives out fear, because fear ▼
▼Lit has
involves punishment, and the one who fears is not bbperfected in love. 19 bcWe love, because He first loved us. 20 bdIf someone says, “I love God,” and yet he behates his brother or sister, he is a bfliar; for bgthe one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, bhcannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And bithis commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God bjmust also love his brother and sister.

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