1 John 4
4
Test the Spirits
1Beloved, #Jer. 29:8 do not believe every spirit, but #1 Thess. 5:21; [1 Cor. 12:10; 14:29; Rev. 2:2] test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for #See ch. 2:18 many #2 Pet. 2:1 false prophets #2 John 7have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: #[1 Cor. 12:3] every spirit that confesses that #2 John 7Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit #ch. 2:22; 2 John 7 that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and #ch. 2:18; [2 Thess. 2:3-7]now is in the world already. 4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for #See Rom. 8:31 he who is in you is greater than #[1 Cor. 2:12]; See John 12:31he who is in the world. 5#John 3:31; 8:23 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and #John 15:19the world listens to them. 6We are from God. #[John 8:47; 10:16; 18:37; 1 Cor. 14:37] Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know #John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 the Spirit of truth and #[1 Cor. 2:12; 1 Tim. 4:1]the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7Beloved, #ch. 3:11 let us love one another, for love is from God, and #ch. 2:29whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8#ch. 3:10 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because #ver. 16; 2 Cor. 13:11; [ch. 1:5; John 4:24]God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that #See John 3:16God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, #Rom. 5:8, 10 not that we have loved God #[See ver. 9 above] but that he loved us and sent his Son to be #See ch. 2:2the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12#ver. 20; John 1:18; 1 Tim. 6:16 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and #ch. 2:5his love is perfected in us.
13 # ch. 3:24 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And #ch. 1:1, 2 we have seen and testify that #See John 3:17 the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of #See ch. 2:2the world. 15#ch. 5:5; [Rom. 10:9]; See Matt. 14:33Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So #John 6:69 we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. #See ver. 8 God is love, and #ver. 12; ch. 3:24whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17By this #[ch. 2:5] is love perfected with us, so that #ch. 2:28; 3:21 we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because #[ch. 3:1]as he is so also are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but #[John 3:18; Rom. 8:15] perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not #[See ver. 17 above]been perfected in love. 19#ver. 10We love because he first loved us. 20#ch. 2:4; 3:17 If anyone says, “I love God,” and #ch. 2:9, 11 hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot#4:20 Some manuscripts how can he love God #ver. 12; [1 Pet. 1:8]whom he has not seen. 21And #Gal. 6:2 this commandment we have from him: #ver. 7; ch. 3:11whoever loves God must also love his brother.
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1 John 4: ESV
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