1 John 3:11-4:6

New International Version

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard^(A) from the beginning:^(B) We should love one another.^{(C) 12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^(D) and murdered his brother.^(E) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^{(F) 13} Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^[a] if the world hates you.^{(G) 14} We know that we have passed from death to life,^(H) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.^{(I) 15} Anyone who hates a brother or sister^(J) is a murderer,^(K) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.^(L)

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.^(M) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^{(N) 17} If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,^(O) how can the love of God be in that person?^{(P) 18} Dear children,^(Q) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.^(R)

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends,^(S) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God^{(T) 22} and receive from him anything we ask,^(U) because we keep his commands^(V) and do what pleases him.^{(W) 23} And this is his command: to believe^(X) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,^(Y) and to love one another as he commanded us.^{(Z) 24} The one who keeps God’s commands^(AA) lives in him,^(AB) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.^(AC)

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,^(AD) do not believe every spirit,^(AE) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{(AF) 2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^(AG) is from God,^{(AH) 3} but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(AI) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(AJ)

⁴ You, dear children,^(AK) are from God and have overcome them,^(AL) because the one who is in you^(AM) is greater than the one who is in the world.^{(AN) 5} They are from the world^(AO) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^(AP) This is how we recognize the Spirit^[b] of truth^(AQ) and the spirit of falsehood.^(AR)