1 A mados, no crean a todo espíritu, sino pongan a prueba los espíritus, para ver si son de Dios. Porque muchos falsos profetas han salido por el mundo.

Beloved, do not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

2 P ero ésta es la mejor manera de reconocer el Espíritu de Dios: Todo espíritu que confiesa que Jesucristo ha venido en carne, es de Dios;

By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) has become man and has come in the flesh is of God;

3 y todo espíritu que no confiesa a Jesús, no es de Dios. Éste es el espíritu del anticristo, el cual ustedes han oído que viene, y que ya está en el mundo.

And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh '> annul, destroy, sever, disunite Him] is not of God. This '> nonconfession] is the of the antichrist, which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.

4 H ijitos, ustedes son de Dios, y han vencido a esos falsos profetas, porque mayor es el que está en ustedes que el que está en el mundo.

Little children, you are of God and have defeated and overcome them, because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

5 E llos son del mundo. Por eso hablan del mundo, y el mundo los oye.

They proceed from the world and are of the world; therefore it is out of the world '> whole economy morally considered] that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them.

6 N osotros somos de Dios. El que conoce a Dios, nos oye; el que no es de Dios, no nos oye. Por esto sabemos cuál es el espíritu de la verdad, y cuál es el espíritu del error. Dios es amor

We are of God. Whoever is learning to know God '> get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.

7 A mados, amémonos unos a otros, porque el amor es de Dios. Todo aquel que ama, ha nacido de Dios y conoce a Dios.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves is begotten (born) of God and is coming to know and understand God.

8 E l que no ama, no ha conocido a Dios, porque Dios es amor.

He who does not love has not become acquainted with God, for God is love.

9 E n esto se mostró el amor de Dios para con nosotros: en que Dios envió al mundo a su Hijo unigénito, para que vivamos por él.

In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique, into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 E n esto consiste el amor: no en que nosotros hayamos amado a Dios, sino en que él nos amó a nosotros, y envió a su Hijo en propiciación por nuestros pecados.

In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.

11 A mados, si Dios nos ha amado así, nosotros también debemos amarnos unos a otros.

Beloved, if God loved us so, we also ought to love one another.

12 N adie ha visto jamás a Dios. Si nos amamos unos a otros, Dios permanece en nosotros, y su amor se perfecciona en nosotros.

No man has at any time seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!

13 E n esto sabemos que permanecemos en él, y él en nosotros: en que él nos ha dado de su Espíritu.

By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His Spirit.

14 N osotros hemos visto y damos testimonio de que el Padre ha enviado al Hijo, el Salvador del mundo.

And we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son Savior of the world.

15 T odo aquel que confiese que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios, permanece en Dios, y Dios en él.

Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he in God.

16 Y nosotros hemos conocido y creído el amor que Dios tiene para con nosotros. Dios es amor; y el que permanece en amor, permanece en Dios, y Dios en él.

And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

17 E n esto se perfecciona el amor en nosotros: para que tengamos confianza en el día del juicio, pues como él es, así somos nosotros en este mundo.

In this love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 E n el amor no hay temor, sino que el perfecto amor echa fuera el temor, porque el temor lleva en sí castigo. Por lo tanto, el que teme, no ha sido perfeccionado en el amor.

There is no fear in love, but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love.

19 N osotros lo amamos a él, porque él nos amó primero.

We love Him, because He first loved us.

20 S i alguno dice: «Yo amo a Dios», pero odia a su hermano, es un mentiroso. Pues el que no ama a su hermano a quien ha visto, ¿cómo puede amar a Dios, a quien no ha visto?

If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother '> in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.

21 N osotros recibimos de él este mandamiento: El que ama a Dios, ame también a su hermano.

And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother '> believer] also.