1 My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you may have knowledge of the Spirit of God: every spirit which says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit which does not say this is not from God: this is the spirit of Antichrist, of which you have had word; and it is in the world even now.
4 You are of God, my little children, and you have overcome them because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are of the world, so their talk is the world's talk, and the world gives ear to them.
6 We are of God: he who has the knowledge of God gives ear to us; he who is not of God does not give ear to us. By this we may see which is the true spirit, and which is the spirit of error.
7 My loved ones, let us have love for one another: because love is of God, and everyone who has love is a child of God and has knowledge of God.
8 He who has no love has no knowledge of God, because God is love.
9 And the love of God was made clear to us when he sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.
10 And this is love, not that we had love for God, but that he had love for us, and sent his Son to be an offering for our sins.
11 My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another.
12 No man has ever seen God: if we have love for one another, God is in us and his love is made complete in us:
13 And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us.
14 And we have seen and give witness that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Everyone who says openly that Jesus is the Son of God, has God in him and is in God.
16 And we have seen and had faith in the love which God has for us. God is love, and everyone who has love is in God, and God is in him.
17 In this way love is made complete in us, so that we may be without fear on the day of judging, because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.
19 We have the power of loving, because he first had love for us.
20 If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?
21 And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.
1 亲爱的， 不要每个灵都信， 总要试验那些灵是否出于 神， 因为有许多假先知已经来到世上了。
2 你们可以这样认出 神的灵： 凡是承认耶稣基督是成了肉身来的， 那灵就是出于 神。
3 凡是不承认耶稣基督是成了肉身来的， 那灵就不是出于 神， 而是敌基督者的灵； 你们听过他要来， 现在他已经在世上了。
4 孩子们， 你们是属于 神的， 并且已经胜过他们， 因为那在你们里面的比那在世上的更大。
5 他们是属于世界的， 因此讲论属世的事， 世界也就听从他们。
6 我们是属于 神的， 认识 神的就听从我们， 不属于 神的就不听从我们。这样， 我们就可以辨别真理的灵和谬妄的灵了。
7 亲爱的， 我们应当彼此相爱， 因为爱是从 神那里来的。凡是爱人的， 都是从 神生的， 并且认识 神。
8 不爱人的， 就不认识 神， 因为 神就是爱。
9 神差遣他的独生子到世上来， 要使我们借着他而活； 神的爱就在我们中间显明了。
10 不是我们爱 神， 而是 神爱我们， 差遣他的儿子为我们的罪作了赎罪祭， 这就是爱了。
11 亲爱的， 神既然这样爱我们， 我们也应当彼此相爱。
12 从来没有人见过 神， 我们若彼此相爱， 神就住在我们里面， 他的爱也在我们里面得到成全了。
13 神把他的灵赐给我们， 我们就知道我们是住在他里面， 他也住在我们里面。
14 父差遣子作世人的救主， 这是我们见过的， 并且现在作见证。
15 凡承认耶稣是 神的儿子的， 神就住在他里面， 他也住在 神里面。
16 神对我们的爱， 我们已经明白了， 而且相信了。 神就是爱； 住在爱里面的， 就住在 神里面， 神也住在他里面。
17 这样， 爱在我们里面就得到成全， 使我们在审判的日子， 可以坦然无惧。因为他怎样， 我们在这世上也怎样。
18 爱里没有惧怕， 完全的爱可以把惧怕驱除， 因为惧怕含有刑罚， 惧怕的人在爱里还没有完全。
19 我们爱， 因为 神先爱我们。
20 人若说"我爱 神"， 却恨他的弟兄， 就是说谎的。不爱看得见的弟兄， 就不能爱看不见的 神。
21 爱 神的， 也应当爱弟兄， 这就是我们从 神领受的命令。