1 B eloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 H ereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 a nd every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.

4 Y e are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

5 T hey are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them.

6 W e are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

7 B eloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.

8 H e that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 H erein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 H erein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 B eloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 N o man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:

13 h ereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

14 A nd we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

15 W hosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.

16 A nd we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

17 H erein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

18 T here is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 W e love, because he first loved us.

20 I f a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.

21 A nd this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.