20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister,(A) he is a liar.(B) For the person who does not love his brother or sister(C) whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.[a] 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,(D) and everyone who loves the Father[b] also loves the one born of him.

Footnotes

  1. 4:20 Other mss read has seen, how is he able to love ... seen? (as a question)
  2. 5:1 Or loves the one who has given birth

20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[a] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.[b]

Faith in the Son of God

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ[c] has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

Footnotes

  1. 4:20 Greek hates his brother.
  2. 4:21 Greek The one who loves God must also love his brother.
  3. 5:1 Or the Messiah.