He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. | People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. |
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. | All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. |
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Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. | Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. |
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. | For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. |
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now 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. |
Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. | If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. |
And it shall be, when he is guilty in any of these matters, that he shall confess that he has sinned in that thing. | When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin. |