²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.^(A)

⁷ I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ^(A) as coming in the flesh,^(B) have gone out into the world.^(C) Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.^(D)

³ but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(A) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(B)

Warnings Against Denying the Son

¹⁸ Dear children, this is the last hour;^(A) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,^(B) even now many antichrists have come.^(C) This is how we know it is the last hour.

⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about^[a] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.^(A) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.^(B)

²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister^(A) is a liar.^(B) For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,^(C) cannot love God, whom they have not seen.^(D)

²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.^(A)

⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,^(A) we lie and do not live out the truth.^(B)

⁴ Whoever says, “I know him,”^(A) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.^(B)