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Warning Against False Teachers

·My dear friends [L Beloved], many false prophets [Deut. 13:1–5; 18:14–22; Mark 13:22] have gone out into the world. So do not ·believe [trust] every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God [C the false teachers evidently claimed that their teaching was from the Spirit; 1 Cor. 12:1–3; 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:19–21]. This is how you can ·know [recognize] God’s Spirit: Every spirit [C a teacher/prophet claiming inspiration from the Spirit] who ·confesses [acknowledges] that Jesus Christ came ·to earth as a human [L in the flesh] is from God. And every spirit who ·refuses to say this about Jesus [L does not confess/acknowledge Jesus] is not from God [2 John 7]. It is the spirit of the ·enemy of Christ [L antichrist; 2:18, 22], which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world.

·My dear children [2:1], you ·belong to [L are from] God and have ·defeated [conquered; overcome] them [C the antichrists/false teachers]; because ·God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world [L that which is in you is greater than that which is in the world]. And they ·belong to [L are from] the world, so what they say is from the world, and the world ·listens to [hears; obeys] them. But we ·belong to [are from] God, and those who know God ·listen to [hear; obey] us. But those who are not from God do not ·listen to [hear; obey] us. That is how we ·know [recognize] the Spirit that is true and the spirit that ·is false [deceives; errs].

Love Comes from God

·Dear friends [L Beloved], ·we should [let us] love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has ·become God’s child [L been begotten/fathered by God] and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God ·showed [revealed] his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. 10 This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son ·to die in our place to take away our sins [as the atoning sacrifice/T propitiation for our sins; see 2:2].

11 ·Dear friends [Beloved], if God loved us ·that much [or in this way; John 3:16] we also should love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God [C God the Father; John 1:18], but if we love each other, God ·lives [remains; abides] ·in [or among] us, and his love ·is made perfect [is made complete; comes to full expression] in us.

13 [L By this] We know that we ·live [abide; remain] in God and he ·lives [abides; remains] in us, because he gave us [L of; from; 3:24] his Spirit [C we share in his Spirit]. 14 We have seen and can ·testify [witness; proclaim] that the Father sent his Son ·to be [or as] the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever ·confesses [acknowledges] that Jesus is the Son of God has God ·living [abiding; remaining] inside, and that person ·lives [abides; remains] in God. 16 And so we ·know [have come to know] the love that God has for us, and we ·trust [believe; rely on] that love.

God is love. Those who ·live [abide; remain] in love ·live [abide; remain] in God, and God ·lives [abides; remains] in them. 17 This is how love ·is made perfect [is made complete; comes to full expression] ·in [or among] us: that we can ·be without fear [have boldness; have confidence; 2:28; 3:21; 5:14] on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him [C probably referring to Christ, our example of love]. 18 ·Where God’s love is, there is no fear [L There is no fear in love], because ·God’s perfect love drives out fear [T perfect love casts out fear]. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made ·perfect [complete] in the person who fears [C fear of punishment, not an appropriate fear of God; compare Prov. 1:7; 2 Cor. 7:15; Phil. 2:12].

19 We love because ·God [L he] first loved us. 20 If people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters [C fellow believers], they are liars. [L For] Those who do not love their brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen. 21 And ·God gave us this command [L we have this command from him]: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters [C fellow believers; John 13:34].

Dear friends agapētos, do pisteuō not believe pisteuō every pas spirit pneuma, but alla test dokimazō the ho spirits pneuma to find out whether ei they are eimi from ek · ho God theos, because hoti many polys false prophets pseudoprophētēs have gone out exerchomai into eis the ho world kosmos. This is how en you can recognize ginōskō the ho Spirit pneuma of ho God theos: every pas spirit pneuma that hos confesses homologeō that Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos has come erchomai in en the flesh sarx is eimi from ek · ho God theos, but kai every pas spirit pneuma that hos does not confess homologeō · ho Jesus Iēsous is eimi not ou from ek · ho God theos. · kai This houtos is eimi the ho spirit of the ho Antichrist antichristos, which hos you heard akouō was coming erchomai, and kai now nyn is eimi already ēdē in en the ho world kosmos. Little children teknion, you hymeis have been born eimi of ek · ho God theos and kai have overcome nikaō them autos, because hoti the ho one who is in en you hymeis is eimi greater megas than ē the ho one who is in en the ho world kosmos. They autos are eimi of ek the ho world kosmos; therefore dia houtos they speak laleō from ek the ho world’ s kosmos perspective and kai the ho world kosmos listens to akouō them autos. We hēmeis are eimi from ek · ho God theos. The ho person who knows ginōskō · ho God theos listens akouō to us hēmeis, but whoever hos is eimi not ou from ek · ho God theos does not ou listen akouō to us hēmeis. By ek this houtos we know ginōskō the ho Spirit pneuma of ho truth alētheia and kai the ho spirit pneuma of ho error planē.

Dear friends agapētos, let us love agapaō one another allēlōn, because hoti · ho love agapē is eimi from ek · ho God theos, and kai everyone pas who ho loves agapaō has been born gennaō of ek · ho God theos and kai knows ginōskō · ho God theos. The ho person who does not love agapaō does not ou know ginōskō · ho God theos, because hoti · ho God theos is eimi love agapē. By en this houtos the ho love agapē of ho God theos is revealed phaneroō to en us hēmeis: that hoti God theos has sent apostellō · ho his autos one and only monogenēs Son hyios · ho · ho into eis the ho world kosmos so that hina we might live zaō through dia him autos. 10 In en this houtos is eimi · ho love agapē, not ou that hoti we hēmeis have loved agapaō · ho God theos but alla that hoti he autos loved agapaō us hēmeis and kai sent apostellō · ho his autos Son hyios as a propitiation hilasmos for peri · ho our hēmeis sins hamartia. 11 Dear friends agapētos, if ei God theos loved agapaō us hēmeis like that houtōs, · ho we hēmeis also kai ought opheilō to love agapaō one another allēlōn. 12 No one oudeis has ever pōpote seen theaomai God theos. If ean we love agapaō one another allēlōn, · ho God theos abides menō in en us hēmeis, and kai · ho his autos love agapē has eimi achieved its goal teleioō in en us hēmeis.

13 By en this houtos we know ginōskō that hoti we abide menō in en God autos and kai he autos in en us hēmeis: because hoti he has given didōmi us hēmeis of ek · ho his autos Spirit pneuma. 14 And kai we hēmeis have seen theaomai and kai testify martyreō that hoti the ho Father patēr has sent apostellō his ho Son hyios as the Savior sōtēr of the ho world kosmos. 15 If ean anyone hos confesses homologeō that hoti Jesus Iēsous is eimi the ho Son hyios of ho God theos, · ho God theos abides menō in en him autos and kai he autos in en · ho God theos. 16 And kai we hēmeis have come to know ginōskō and kai to trust pisteuō the ho love agapē that hos God theos has echō · ho for en us hēmeis. · ho God theos is eimi love agapē, and kai the ho one who abides menō in en · ho love agapē abides menō in en · ho God theos, and kai · ho God theos abides menō in en him autos. 17 By en this houtos, love agapē is fully realized teleioō · ho among meta us hēmeis, so that hina we may have echō confidence parrēsia in en the ho day hēmera of ho judgment krisis; because hoti just as kathōs he ekeinos is eimi, so also kai are eimi we hēmeis in en · ho this houtos world kosmos. 18 There is eimi no ou fear phobos in en · ho love agapē, but alla · ho perfect teleios love agapē drives ballō out exō · ho fear phobos because hoti · ho fear phobos has to do with echō punishment kolasis. So de the ho one who fears phobeomai has not ou been perfected teleioō in en · ho love agapē. 19 We hēmeis love agapaō because hoti he autos first prōtos loved agapaō us hēmeis. 20 If ean someone tis says legō, “ I love agapaō · ho God theos,” yet kai hates miseō · ho his autos brother adelphos, he is eimi a liar pseustēs; for gar the ho one who does not love agapaō · ho his autos brother adelphos whom hos he has seen horaō, cannot ou love agapaō · ho God theos whom hos he has not ou seen horaō. 21 And kai the ho commandment entolē we have echō from apo him autos is this houtos: the ho one who loves agapaō · ho God theos must also kai love agapaō · ho his autos brother adelphos.