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My dear brothers, do not trust every spirit. But test the spirits to see if they belong to God. There are many prophets who are not true who have gone out into the world.

Here is how you can know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that believes that Jesus Christ has come in the body of a man is from God.

And every spirit that does not say this about Jesus, does not belong to God. That is the spirit of the one who is against Christ. You have heard that he is coming. And now he is already in the world.

My children, you belong to God. You have won the victory over those prophets who are not true. You have won because the Spirit that is in you is stronger than the spirit that is in the world.

Those prophets belong to the world. That is why they teach about things in the world. And that is why the people of the world listen to them.

But we belong to God. Anyone who knows God listens to us. Anyone who does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we know if a spirit is true or not true.

My dear brothers, we must love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves others is God's child and he knows God.

But anyone who does not love others does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love for us. He sent his only Son into the world to give us life.

10 This is love! We did not love God, but he loved us. And he sent his Son to be the sacrifice to pay for the wrong things we have done.

11 My dear brothers, if God loved us so much, we must love one another also.

12 No man has ever seen God. But God lives in us if we love one another. And in loving one another, his love is made perfect.

13 He has given us of his own Spirit. That is how we know that we are in him and he is in us.

14 And we have seen and we are telling you that the Father sent his Son to save the people in the world.

15 If anyone says, `Jesus is the Son of God,' God is in him and he is in God.

16 We know and we believe that God loves us. God is love. And anyone who loves others is in God and God is in him.

17 That is why we love each other very much. Then we will not be afraid on the day when people are judged. We are like Christ in this world.

18 Where God's love is, there is no fear. God's perfect love takes away fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear. Anyone who has fear does not have perfect love.

19 We love others because God first loved us.

20 If anyone says, `I love God', and he hates his brother, he is telling a lie. If he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21 God gave us this law. The person who loves God must love his brother also.

Chaverim, do not believe every ruach. [YIRMEYAH 29:8] But test the ruchot (spirits), if they be of Hashem, because many nevi’ei sheker have gone out into the Olam Hazeh.

By this we have da’as of the Ruach Hakodesh of Hashem: every ruach which makes hoda’ah (confession) of Yehoshua, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach as having come in the basar is of Hashem,

And every ruach which does not make hoda’ah of Yehoshua is not of Hashem. And this is the ruach of the Anti-Moshiach, which you have heard that it is coming; and now it already is in the Olam Hazeh.

Yeladim, you are of Hashem, and you have overcome them, because greater is the One in you than the one in the Olam Hazeh. [MELACHIM BAIS 6:16]

They are of the Olam Hazeh; therefore, of the Olam Hazeh they speak, and the Olam Hazeh pays heed to them.

We are of Hashem; the one having da’as of Hashem pays heed to us; he who is not of Hashem does not pay heed to us. From this we have da’as of the Ruach [Hakodesh] of Emes and the ruach tatu’im (spirit of delusion, error).

Chaverim, let us have ahavah one for another, because ahavah is of Hashem, and everyone having ahavah has been born of Hashem and has da’as of Hashem.

The one not having ahavah did not have da’as of Hashem, because Hashem is ahavah.

By this was made hisgalus of the ahavah of Hashem among us, because Hashem has sent His Ben Yechid into the Olam Hazeh that we may live through Him. [Yn 3:16]

10 In this is ahavah, not that we have had ahavah for Hashem, but that Hashem had ahavah for us and gave His Ben HaElohim as a kapporah for chattoteinu.

11 Chaverim, if Hashem so had ahavah for us, also we ought to have ahavah one for another.

12 No one has ever beheld Hashem. If we have ahavah one for another, G-d makes His ma’on in us and the Ahavas Hashem in us has been made shleimah.

13 By this we have da’as that we have our ma’on in Him and He in us, because of the Ruach Hakodesh of Him He has given us.

14 And we [Shlichim] have beheld and we give solemn eidus (testimony) that HaAv has sent HaBen as Moshi’a HaOlam (Go’el el kol HaOlam, Oisleizer).

15 Whoever makes moyde (confession) that Yehoshua (Yeshua) is the Ben HaElohim, Hashem makes His ma’on in him and he in Hashem.

16 And we have had da’as and emunah in the ahavah which Hashem has for us. Hashem is ahavah. The one making his ma’on in ahavah makes his ma’on in Hashem and Hashem in him.

17 By this has the ahavah become shleimah with us, that we may have bitachon in the Yom HaDin, because as that One is, so we are also in the Olam Hazeh.

18 Pachad (fear) is not in ahavah, but the ahavah hashleimah casts out pachad, because pachad has to do with pachad of the onesh (punishment) and the one with pachad has not been perfected in ahavah.

19 We have ahavah because rishonah He had ahavah for us.

20 If anyone says I have ahavah for Hashem and the Ach b’Moshiach he hates, he is a shakran (liar). For the one not having ahavah for the Ach b’Moshiach of him whom he has seen, how can he have ahavah for the Elohim whom he has not seen?

21 And this mitzvah we have from Him that the one having ahavah for Hashem should have ahavah also for the Ach b’Moshiach of him.

Love for God and One Another

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but (A)test the spirits, whether they are of God; because (B)many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: (C)Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess [a]that Jesus [b]Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than (D)he who is in the world. (E)They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and (F)the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. (G)By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Knowing God Through Love(H)

(I)Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who (J)loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (K)In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten (L)Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, (M)not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son (N)to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, (O)if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Seeing God Through Love

12 (P)No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 (Q)By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And (R)we have seen and testify that (S)the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 (T)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and (U)he who abides in love abides in God, and God (V)in him.

The Consummation of Love

17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that (W)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 casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 (X)We love [c]Him because He first loved us.

Obedience by Faith

20 (Y)If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, [d]how can he love God (Z)whom he has not seen? 21 And (AA)this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 4:3 NU omits that
  2. 1 John 4:3 NU omits Christ has come in the flesh
  3. 1 John 4:19 NU omits Him
  4. 1 John 4:20 NU he cannot