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

Dear Christian friends, do not believe every spirit. But test the spirits to see if they are from God for there are many false preachers in the world.

2 H ereby ye know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh is of God;

You can tell if the spirit is from God in this way: Every spirit that says Jesus Christ has come in a human body is from God.

3 a nd every spirit which does not confess Jesus Christ come in flesh is not of God: and this is that of the antichrist, which ye have heard that it comes, and now it is already in the world.

And every spirit that does not say Jesus has come in a human body is not from God. It is the teaching of the false-christ. You have heard that this teaching is coming. It is already here in the world.

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

My children, you are a part of God’s family. You have stood against these false preachers and had power over them. You had power over them because the One Who lives in you is stronger than the one who is in the world.

5 T hey are of the world; for this reason they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

Those false teachers are a part of the world. They speak about the things of the world. The world listens to them.

6 W e are of God; he that knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

We are a part of God’s family. The person who knows God will listen to us. The person who is not a part of God’s family will not listen to us. In this way, we can tell what is the spirit of truth and what is the spirit of false teaching. Loving God Makes Us Love Our Christian Brothers

7 B eloved, let us love one another; because love is of God, and every one that loves has been begotten of God, and knows God.

Dear friends, let us love each other, because love comes from God. Those who love are God’s children and they know God.

8 H e that loves not has not known God; for God is love.

Those who do not love do not know God because God is love.

9 H erein as to us has been manifested the love of God, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

God has shown His love to us by sending His only Son into the world. God did this so we might have life through Christ.

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

This is love! It is not that we loved God but that He loved us. For God sent His Son to pay for our sins with His own blood.

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

Dear friends, if God loved us that much, then we should love each other.

12 N o one has seen God at any time: if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

No person has ever seen God at any time. If we love each other, God lives in us. His love is made perfect in us.

13 H ereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, that he has given to us of his Spirit.

He has given us His Spirit. This is how we live by His help and He lives in us. Love Gives Us More Faith in Christ

14 A nd we have seen, and testify, that the Father has sent the Son Saviour of the world.

We have seen and are able to say that the Father sent His Son to save the world from the punishment of sin.

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

The person who tells of Him in front of men and says that Jesus is the Son of God, God is living in that one and that one is living by the help of God.

16 A nd we have known and have believed the love which God has to us. God is love, and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

We have come to know and believe the love God has for us. God is love. If you live in love, you live by the help of God and God lives in you. The Love of God Has Power Over Fear and Hate

17 H erein has love been perfected with us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that even as he is, we also are in this world.

Love is made perfect in us when we are not ashamed as we stand before Him on the day He judges. For we know that our life in this world is His life lived in us.

18 T here is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love.

There is no fear in love. Perfect love puts fear out of our hearts. People have fear when they are afraid of being punished. The man who is afraid does not have perfect love.

19 W e love because he has first loved us.

We love Him because He loved us first.

20 I f any one say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

If a person says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. If a person does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God Whom he has not seen?

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

We have these words from Him. If you love God, love your brother also.