1 John 4-5

American Standard Version

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ² Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: ³ and every spirit that ^[a]confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already. ⁴ Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them. ⁶ We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God. ⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ⁹ Herein was the love of God manifested ^[b]in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: ¹³ hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. ¹⁵ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we know and have believed the love which God hath ^[c]in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. ¹⁷ Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love, because he first loved us. ²⁰ If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, ^[d]cannot love God whom he hath not seen. ²¹ And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.

5 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God: and whosoever loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. ² Hereby we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. ⁴ For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ And who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not ^[e]with the water only, but ^[f]with the water and ^[g]with the blood. ⁷ And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁸ For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one. ⁹ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. ¹⁰ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. ¹¹ And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.

¹³ These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴ And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵ and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. ¹⁶ If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, ^[h]he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is ^[i]a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin: and there is ^[j]a sin not unto death.

¹⁸ We know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that was begotten of God keepeth ^[k]himself, and the evil one toucheth him not. ¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. ²¹ My little children, guard yourselves from idols.