1 John 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 4
Testing the Spirits.[a] 1 Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(A) 2 This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God,(B) 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus[b] does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.(C) 4 You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them.(D) 6 We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.(E)
God’s Love and Christian Life. 7 [c]Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 8 Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.(F) 10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.(G) 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.(H)
13 [d]This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 16 We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 17 In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world.(I) 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God[e] whom he has not seen.(J) 21 This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.(K)
Footnotes
- 4:1–6 Deception is possible in spiritual phenomena and may be tested by its relation to Christian doctrine (cf. 1 Cor 12:3): those who fail to acknowledge Jesus Christ in the flesh are false prophets and belong to the antichrist. Even though these false prophets are well received in the world, the Christian who belongs to God has a greater power in the truth.
- 4:3 Does not acknowledge Jesus: some ancient manuscripts add “Christ” and/or “to have come in the flesh” (cf. 1 Jn 4:2), and others read “every spirit that annuls (or severs) Jesus.”
- 4:7–12 Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God.
- 4:13–21 The testimony of the Spirit and that of faith join the testimony of love to confirm our knowledge of God. Our love is grounded in the confession of Jesus as the Son of God and the example of God’s love for us. Christian life is founded on the knowledge of God as love and on his continuing presence that relieves us from fear of judgment (1 Jn 4:16–18). What Christ is gives us confidence, even as we live and love in this world. Yet Christian love is not abstract but lived in the concrete manner of love for one another.
- 4:20 Cannot love God: some ancient manuscripts read “how can he love…?”
1 John 4
King James Version
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try 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 confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, 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 of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we 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 born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God 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 ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, 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, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
約翰一書 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
靈的分辨
4 親愛的弟兄姊妹，不要什麼靈都信，總要試驗那些靈是否出於上帝，因為世上已經出現了許多假先知！ 2 任何靈若承認耶穌基督曾降世為人，就是從上帝來的，你們可以憑這一點認出上帝的靈。 3 任何靈若不承認耶穌，就不是從上帝來的，而是敵基督者的靈。以前你們聽說敵基督者要來，現在他已經在世上了。
4 孩子們，你們屬於上帝，你們已經勝過了那些假先知，因為在你們裡面的聖靈比在世上運行的邪靈更有能力。 5 他們屬於世界，所以他們談論的都是世俗的事，世人也聽從他們。 6 我們屬於上帝，認識上帝的人聽從我們，不屬於上帝的人不聽從我們。這樣，我們就可以分辨真理的靈和錯謬的靈。
上帝是愛
7 親愛的弟兄姊妹，我們應當彼此相愛，因為愛是從上帝來的。凡有愛心的人都是從上帝生的，並且認識上帝。 8 沒有愛心的人不認識上帝，因為上帝就是愛。 9 上帝差遣祂獨一的兒子到世上來，是為了叫我們靠著祂得到生命。這就顯明了上帝對我們的愛。 10 不是我們愛上帝，而是上帝愛我們，並且差遣祂兒子為我們的罪作了贖罪祭，這就是愛。
11 親愛的弟兄姊妹，上帝既然這樣愛我們，我們也應該彼此相愛。 12 從來沒有人見過上帝，如果我們彼此相愛，上帝就住在我們裡面，祂的愛就在我們裡面得到成全。
13 上帝將祂的靈賜給了我們，所以我們知道自己住在祂裡面，祂也住在我們裡面。 14 我們看見過，現在做見證：父差遣了祂的兒子成為世人的救主。 15 無論是誰，他若承認耶穌是上帝的兒子，上帝必住在他裡面，他也住在上帝裡面。 16 我們已經認識並且相信了上帝對我們的愛。
上帝就是愛，住在愛中的，就是住在上帝裡面，上帝也住在他裡面。 17 這樣，愛在我們裡面得到成全，使我們在審判的日子可以坦然無懼，因為我們在這世上以基督為榜樣。 18 愛裡沒有恐懼，純全的愛能驅除恐懼，因為恐懼意味著怕受懲罰。人若心裡恐懼，就表示他尚未明白那純全的愛。
19 我們愛，因為上帝先愛了我們。 20 若有人說「我愛上帝」，卻恨自己的弟兄姊妹，這人就是說謊話，因為人若不愛看得見的弟兄姊妹，又怎能愛看不見的上帝呢？ 21 愛上帝的人也應該愛弟兄姊妹，這是上帝給我們的命令。
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.