^aBeloved, do not believe every ^bspirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because ^cmany false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: ^aevery spirit that ^bconfesses that ^cJesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that ^adoes not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the ^bantichrist, which you have heard is coming, and ^cnow it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, ^alittle children, and ^bhave overcome them; because ^cgreater is He who is in you than ^dhe who is in the world. 5 ^aThey are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 ^aWe are from God. ^bThe one who knows God listens to us; ^cthe one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know ^dthe spirit of truth and ^ethe spirit of error.

7 ^aBeloved, let’s ^blove one another; for love is from God, and ^ceveryone who loves has been ^dborn of God and ^eknows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because ^aGod is love. 9 By this the love of God was revealed ^1ain us, that ^bGod has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. 10 In this is love, ^anot that we loved God, but that ^bHe loved us and sent His Son to be ^cthe ¹propitiation for our sins. 11 ^aBeloved, if God so loved us, ^bwe also ought to love one another. 12 ^aNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His ^blove is perfected in us. 13 ^aBy this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and ^atestify that the Father has ^bsent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 ^aWhoever confesses that ^bJesus is the Son of God, God ^cremains in him, and he in God. 16 ^aWe have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^1bfor us. ^cGod is love, and the one who ^dremains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, ^alove is perfected with us, so that we may have ^bconfidence in ^cthe day of judgment; because ^das He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but ^aperfect love drives out fear, because fear ¹involves punishment, and the one who fears is not ^bperfected in love. 19 ^aWe love, because He first loved us. 20 ^aIf someone says, “I love God,” and yet he ^bhates his brother or sister, he is a ^cliar; for ^dthe one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, ^ecannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And ^athis commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^bmust also love his brother and sister.