4:1
My dear friends, not every spirit is to be trusted, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets are at large in the world.
4:2
This is the proof of the spirit of God: any spirit which acknowledges Jesus Christ, come in human nature, is from God,
4:3
and no spirit which fails to acknowledge Jesus is from God; it is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you have heard of; he is already at large in the world.
4:4
Children, you are from God and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
4:5
They are from the world, and therefore the world inspires what they say, and listens to them.
4:6
We are from God; whoever recognises God listens to us; anyone who is not from God refuses to listen to us. This is how we can distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
4:7
My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.
4:8
Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love.
4:9
This is the revelation of God's love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him.
4:10
Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins.
4:11
My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another.
4:12
No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us.
4:13
This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit.
4:14
We ourselves have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as Saviour of the world.
4:15
Anyone who acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.
4:16
We have recognised for ourselves, and put our faith in, the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
4:17
Love comes to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgement fearlessly, because even in this world we have become as he is.
4:18
In love there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear implies punishment and no one who is afraid has come to perfection in love.
4:19
Let us love, then, because he first loved us.
4:20
Anyone who says 'I love God' and hates his brother, is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen.
4:21
Indeed this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother.
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