4:1 Dear friends, don’t believe every spirit – rather, test the spirits to see whether they are of God. For many false prophets have come forth into the world.
4:2 From this you can know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that testifies that Jesus the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] appeared in the flesh is of God.
4:3 And any spirit that doesn’t testify about Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the opposer of God, of which you have heard about and now appears in the world.
4:4 You are of God, dear children – and have overcome them, because greater is He who is with you than he who is of the material world.
4:5 They are of the material world. Thus they speak from the material world and the world listens to them.
4:6 We are of God and one who knows God listens to us. One who is not of God does not listen to us. From this we can understand the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
4:7 Dear friends, let us love each other. For love is of God and anyone who loves is born of God and understands God.
4:8 One who doesn’t love doesn’t understand God – because God is love.
4:9 From this the love of God became manifest with us: That God sent His confidential Representative into the world – so that because of him we can live.
4:10 This is love: Not that we loved God – but that He loved us and sent His Representative in forgiveness for our transgressions.
4:11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, we should also love each other.
4:12 One may not see God with the eyes; but if we love each other, God lives with us and love is perfected in us.
4:13 From this we understand that we abide with Him and He with us, because He has given us His Spirit.
4:14 We have seen and give witness that the Creator has sent the Representative to save the world.
4:15 Anyone who testifies that Jesus is the Representative of God abides with Him, and he with God.
4:16 We have understood and trusted the love that God has for us. God is love and one who lives in love dwells with God and God dwells with him.
4:17 With this, love is perfected in us, giving us confidence at the time of judgment because, like him, we are in this world.
4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts away fear. For fear involves punishment and one who fears is not perfect in love.
4:19 We love because He loved us first.
4:20 One who says ‘I love God’ but hates his brother is a liar. Because one who doesn’t love his brother whom he sees with the eyes cannot love God whom he doesn’t see with the eyes.
4:21 And we have this instruction from Him – that we should love God and love our brother as well.
4:2 From this you can know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that testifies that Jesus the Anointed of God [Messiah, Christ] appeared in the flesh is of God.
4:3 And any spirit that doesn’t testify about Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the opposer of God, of which you have heard about and now appears in the world.
4:4 You are of God, dear children – and have overcome them, because greater is He who is with you than he who is of the material world.
4:5 They are of the material world. Thus they speak from the material world and the world listens to them.
4:6 We are of God and one who knows God listens to us. One who is not of God does not listen to us. From this we can understand the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
4:7 Dear friends, let us love each other. For love is of God and anyone who loves is born of God and understands God.
4:8 One who doesn’t love doesn’t understand God – because God is love.
4:9 From this the love of God became manifest with us: That God sent His confidential Representative into the world – so that because of him we can live.
4:10 This is love: Not that we loved God – but that He loved us and sent His Representative in forgiveness for our transgressions.
4:11 Dear friends, if God so loved us, we should also love each other.
4:12 One may not see God with the eyes; but if we love each other, God lives with us and love is perfected in us.
4:13 From this we understand that we abide with Him and He with us, because He has given us His Spirit.
4:14 We have seen and give witness that the Creator has sent the Representative to save the world.
4:15 Anyone who testifies that Jesus is the Representative of God abides with Him, and he with God.
4:16 We have understood and trusted the love that God has for us. God is love and one who lives in love dwells with God and God dwells with him.
4:17 With this, love is perfected in us, giving us confidence at the time of judgment because, like him, we are in this world.
4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts away fear. For fear involves punishment and one who fears is not perfect in love.
4:19 We love because He loved us first.
4:20 One who says ‘I love God’ but hates his brother is a liar. Because one who doesn’t love his brother whom he sees with the eyes cannot love God whom he doesn’t see with the eyes.
4:21 And we have this instruction from Him – that we should love God and love our brother as well.
