We love because he first loved us. | We love each other because he loved us first. |
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. | Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. |
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By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. | This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. |
Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. | But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. |
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. | Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. |
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. | But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. |
God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. | God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. |
In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. | This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. |
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. | Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. |
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. | No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. |
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. | And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. |
God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. | All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. |
So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. | We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. |
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. | Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. |
Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. | If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? |
The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. | And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. |
For whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. | For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. |
Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? | And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. |
And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. | And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. |
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. | Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. |
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. | I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. |
And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. | And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. |
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. | And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. |
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. | And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. |
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. | Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. |