1 John 3:11-4:6

English Standard Version

Love One Another

¹¹ For ^(A)this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, ^(B)that we should love one another. ¹² We should not be like ^(C)Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? ^(D)Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, brothers,^{[a] (E)}that the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that ^(F)we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. ^15 (G)Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(H)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

¹⁶ By this we know love, that ^(I)he laid down his life for us, and ^(J)we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ But ^(K)if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet ^(L)closes his heart against him, ^(M)how does God's love abide in him? ¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(N)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(O)in truth.

¹⁹ By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; ²⁰ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. ²¹ Beloved, ^(P)if our heart does not condemn us, ^(Q)we have confidence before God; ²² and ^(R)whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and ^(S)do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his commandment, ^(T)that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^(U)love one another, ^(V)just as he has commanded us. ^24 (W)Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,^[b] and God^[c] in him. And ^(X)by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, ^(Y)do not believe every spirit, but ^(Z)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ^(AA)many ^(AB)false prophets ^(AC)have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(AD)every spirit that confesses that ^(AE)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit ^(AF)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ^(AG)now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ^(AH)he who is in you is greater than ^(AI)he who is in the world. ^5 (AJ)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ^(AK)the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. ^(AL)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^(AM)the Spirit of truth and ^(AN)the spirit of error.