¹Beloved, don’t believe every spirit , but test the spirits , whether they are of God , because many false prophets have gone out into the world .

²By this you know the Spirit of God : every spirit who confesses that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is of God ,

³and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is not of God ; and this is the spirit of the Anti-messiah, of whom you have heard that it comes . Now it is in the world already .

⁴You are of God , little children , and have overcome them , because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world .

⁵They are of the world . Therefore they speak of the world , and the world hears them .

⁶We are of God . He who knows God listens to us . He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us . By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error .

⁷Beloved, let ’s love one another , for love is of God ; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God .

⁸He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God , for God is love.

⁹By this God ’s love was revealed in us , that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him .[#4:9 The phrase “only born” is from the Greek word “μονογενη”, which is sometimes translated “only begotten” or “one and only”.]

¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God , but that he loved us , and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.[#4:10 “atoning sacrifice” is from the Greek “ιλασμος”, an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation—the sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath because of our sin.]

¹¹Beloved, if God loved us in this way , we also ought to love one another .

¹²No one has seen God at any time . If we love one another , God remains in us , and his love has been perfected in us .

¹³By this we know that we remain in him and he in us , because he has given us of his Spirit .

¹⁴We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world .

¹⁵Whoever confesses that Yeshua is the Son of God , God remains in him , and he in God .

¹⁶We know and have believed the love which God has for us . God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God , and God remains in him .

¹⁷In this , love has been made perfect among us , that we may have boldness in the day of judgment , because as he is , even so we are in this world .

¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear , because fear has punishment . He who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love him, because he first loved us .[#4:19 NU omits “him”.]

²⁰If a man says , “I love God ,” and hates his brother, he is a liar ; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen , how can he love God whom he has not seen ?

²¹This commandment we have from him , that he who loves God should also love his brother.