1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, if they are of God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

2In this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh, it is of God,

3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ having come in the flesh, it is not of God; and this is that of the antichrist, which you heard that it comes, and now it is already in the world.

4You are of God, little children, and you have overcome them; because greater is He who [is] in you, than he who is in the world.

5They are of the world, because they speak of this from the world, and the world hears them;

6we are of God; he who is knowing God hears us; he who is not of God, does not hear us; from this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7Beloved, may we love one another, because love is of God, and everyone loving has been begotten of God, and knows God;

8he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.

9In this was revealed the love of God in us, because God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we may live through Him;

10in this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son [as] the propitiation for our sins.

11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another;

12no one has ever seen God; if we may love one another, God remains in us, and His love is having been perfected in us;

13in this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us, because of His Spirit He has given us.

14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son [as] Savior of the world;

15whoever may confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God;

16and we have known and believed the love that God has in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in love, remains in God, and God in him.

17In this, love has been perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because even as He is, we also are in this world.

18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and he who is fearing has not been made perfect in love;

19we love Him, because He first loved us;

20if anyone may say, “I love God,” and may hate his brother, he is a liar; for he who is not loving his brother whom he has seen, how is he able to love God whom he has not seen?

21And this [is] the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.