1 John 4

¹MY dearest, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits if they be of God: because, many false prophets are gone out into the world.

²In this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ to have come in flesh, is of God:

³and every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and now he is in the world.

⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

⁵They are of the world: therefore of the world they speak, and the world heareth them.

⁶We are of God. He that knoweth God, heareth us. He that is not of God, heareth us not. In this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

⁷My dearest, let us love one another: because charity is of God. And every one that loveth, is born of God, & knoweth God.

⁸He that loveth not, knoweth not God: because God is charity.

⁹In this hath the charity of God appeared in us, because God hath sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we may live by him.

¹⁰In this is charity: not as though we have loved him, but because he hath loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.

¹¹My dearest, if God hath so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹²God no man hath seen at any time. If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his charity in us is perfited.

¹³In this we know that we abide in him, and he in us: because he of his Spirit hath given to us.

¹⁴And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father hath sent his Son the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.

¹⁶And we have known and have believed the charity, which God hath in us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him.

¹⁷In this is charity perfited with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement: because as he is, we also are in the world.

¹⁸Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear, because fear hath painfulness. And he that feareth, is not perfect in charity.

¹⁹Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us.

²⁰If any man shall say, that I love God; and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth, God whom he seeth not, how can he love?

²¹And this commandment we have from God: that he which loveth God, love also his brother.