1 John 3:13-4:21

New American Standard Bible

¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if ^(A)the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have ^(B)passed out of death into life, ^(C)because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who ^(D)hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that ^(E)no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. ¹⁶ We know love by this, that ^(F)He laid down His life for us; and ^(G)we ought to lay down our lives for the ^(H)brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ But ^(I)whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and ^(J)closes his ^[a]heart ^[b]against him, ^(K)how does the love of God remain in him? ^18 (L)Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and ^(M)truth. ¹⁹ We will know by this that we are ^(N)of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, ²⁰ that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. ^21 (O)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have ^(P)confidence ^[c]before God; ²² and ^(Q)whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we ^(R)keep His commandments and do ^(S)the things that are pleasing in His sight.

²³ This is His commandment, that we ^[d](T)believe in ^(U)the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as ^(V)He ^[e]commanded us. ²⁴ The one who ^(W)keeps His commandments ^(X)remains in Him, and He in him. ^(Y)We know by this that ^(Z)He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Testing the Spirits

4 ^(AA)Beloved, do not believe every ^(AB)spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because ^(AC)many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(AD)every spirit that ^(AE)confesses that ^(AF)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; ³ and every spirit that ^(AG)does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the ^(AH)antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and ^(AI)now it is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, ^(AJ)little children, and ^(AK)have overcome them; because ^(AL)greater is He who is in you than ^(AM)he who is in the world. ^5 (AN)They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ^6 (AO)We are from God. ^(AP)The one who knows God listens to us; ^(AQ)the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^(AR)the spirit of truth and ^(AS)the spirit of error.

God Is Love

^7 (AT)Beloved, let’s ^(AU)love one another; for love is from God, and ^(AV)everyone who loves has been ^(AW)born of God and ^(AX)knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because ^(AY)God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was revealed ^[f](AZ)in us, that ^(BA)God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(BB)not that we loved God, but that ^(BC)He loved us and sent His Son to be ^(BD)the ^[g]propitiation for our sins. ^11 (BE)Beloved, if God so loved us, ^(BF)we also ought to love one another. ^12 (BG)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His ^(BH)love is perfected in us. ^13 (BI)By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and ^(BJ)testify that the Father has ^(BK)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

^15 (BL)Whoever confesses that ^(BM)Jesus is the Son of God, God ^(BN)remains in him, and he in God. ^16 (BO)We have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^[h](BP)for us. ^(BQ)God is love, and the one who ^(BR)remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ By this, ^(BS)love is perfected with us, so that we may have ^(BT)confidence in ^(BU)the day of judgment; because ^(BV)as He is, we also are in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but ^(BW)perfect love drives out fear, because fear ^[i]involves punishment, and the one who fears is not ^(BX)perfected in love. ^19 (BY)We love, because He first loved us. ^20 (BZ)If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he ^(CA)hates his brother or sister, he is a ^(CB)liar; for ^(CC)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, ^(CD)cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(CE)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^(CF)must also love his brother and sister.