1 John 3:23-5:19

English Standard Version

²³And this is his commandment, ^(A)that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and ^(B)love one another, ^(C)just as he has commanded us. ²⁴^(D)Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,^[a] and God^[b] in him. And ^(E)by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, ^(F)do not believe every spirit, but ^(G)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for ^(H)many ^(I)false prophets ^(J)have gone out into the world. ²By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(K)every spirit that confesses that ^(L)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³and every spirit ^(M)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and ^(N)now is in the world already. ⁴Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for ^(O)he who is in you is greater than ^(P)he who is in the world. ⁵^(Q)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and ^(R)the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God. ^(S)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^(T)the Spirit of truth and ^(U)the spirit of error.

God Is Love

⁷Beloved, ^(V)let us love one another, for love is from God, and ^(W)whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸^(X)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because ^(Y)God is love. ⁹In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that ^(Z)God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, ^(AA)not that we have loved God ^(AB)but that he loved us and sent his Son to be ^(AC)the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²^(AD)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and ^(AE)his love is perfected in us.

¹³^(AF)By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And ^(AG)we have seen and testify that ^(AH)the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of ^(AI)the world. ¹⁵^(AJ)Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶So ^(AK)we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. ^(AL)God is love, and ^(AM)whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this ^(AN)is love perfected with us, so that ^(AO)we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because ^(AP)as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but ^(AQ)perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not ^(AR)been perfected in love. ¹⁹^(AS)We love because he first loved us. ²⁰^(AT)If anyone says, “I love God,” and ^(AU)hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot^[c] love God ^(AV)whom he has not seen. ²¹And ^(AW)this commandment we have from him: ^(AX)whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Overcoming the World

5 ^(AY)Everyone who believes that ^(AZ)Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and ^(BA)everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. ²^(BB)By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³For ^(BC)this is the love of God, that we ^(BD)keep his commandments. And ^(BE)his commandments are not burdensome. ⁴For ^(BF)everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—^(BG)our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes ^(BH)that Jesus is the Son of God?

Testimony Concerning the Son of God

⁶This is he who came ^(BI)by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And ^(BJ)the Spirit is the one who testifies, because ^(BK)the Spirit is the truth. ⁷For there are three that testify: ⁸the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. ⁹^(BL)If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God ^(BM)that he has borne concerning his Son. ¹⁰Whoever believes in the Son of God ^(BN)has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God ^(BO)has made him a liar, ^(BP)because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. ¹¹And this is the testimony, that God gave us ^(BQ)eternal life, and ^(BR)this life is in his Son. ¹²^(BS)Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

That You May Know

¹³I write ^(BT)these things to you who ^(BU)believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴And this is ^(BV)the confidence that we have toward him, that ^(BW)if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and ^(BX)God^[d] will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. ^(BY)There is sin that leads to death; ^(BZ)I do not say that one should pray for that. ¹⁷^(CA)All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸We know that ^(CB)everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but ^(CC)he who was born of God ^(CD)protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.

¹⁹We know that we are from God, and ^(CE)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.