1 John 3:11-4:6

New American Standard Bible

^11 (A)For this is the message ^(B)which you have heard from the beginning, ^(C)that we are to love one another; ¹² not as ^(D)Cain, who was of ^(E)the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because ^(F)his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

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

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

Testing the Spirits

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