1 John 4:2-21

Legacy Standard Bible

² By this you know the Spirit of God: ^(A)every spirit that ^(B)confesses that ^(C)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that ^(D)does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the ^(E)antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and ^(F)now it is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, ^(G)little children, and ^(H)have overcome them; because ^(I)greater is He who is in you than ^(J)he who is in the world. ^5 (K)They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world hears them. ^6 (L)We are from God. ^(M)The one who knows God hears us; ^(N)the one who is not from God does not hear us. From this we know ^(O)the spirit of truth and ^(P)the spirit of error.

God Is Love

^7 (Q)Beloved, let us ^(R)love one another, for love is from God; and ^(S)everyone who loves has been ^[a](T)born of God and ^(U)knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because ^(V)God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested ^[b](W)in us, that ^(X)God has sent His ^[c]only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(Y)not that we have loved God, but that ^(Z)He loved us and sent His Son to be ^(AA)the propitiation for our sins. ^11 (AB)Beloved, if God so loved us, ^(AC)we also ought to love one another. ^12 (AD)No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His ^(AE)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. ¹⁴ We have beheld and ^(AG)bear witness that the Father has ^(AH)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

^15 (AI)Whoever confesses that ^(AJ)Jesus is the Son of God, God ^(AK)abides in him, and he in God. ^16 (AL)And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^(AM)in us. ^(AN)God is love, and the one who ^(AO)abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this, ^(AP)love has been perfected with us, so that we may have ^(AQ)confidence in ^(AR)the day of judgment, because ^(AS)as He is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but ^(AT)perfect love casts out fear, because fear ^[d]involves punishment, and the one who fears is not ^(AU)perfected in love. ^19 (AV)We love, because He first loved us. ^20 (AW)If someone says, “I love God,” and ^(AX)hates his brother, he is a ^(AY)liar; for ^(AZ)the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ^(BA)cannot love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(BB)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^(BC)should love his brother also.