1 Beloved, *Jer. 29:8do 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. 2:18many *2 Pet. 2:1false prophets *2 John 7have gone out into the world. 2 By 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, 3 and every spirit *ch. 2:22;2 John 7that 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. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for *See Rom. 8:31he who is in you is greater than *[1 Cor. 2:12]; See John 12:31he who is in the world. 5 *John 3:31;8:23They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and *John 15:19the world listens to them. 6 We 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;16:13the Spirit of truth and *[1 Cor. 2:12;1 Tim. 4:1]the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, *ch. 3:11let us love one another, for love is from God, and *ch. 2:29whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 *ch. 3:10Anyone who does not love does not know God, because *ver. 16;2 Cor. 13:11;[ch. 1:5;John 4:24]God is love. 9 In 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. 10 In this is love, *Rom. 5:8,10not that we have loved God *[See ver. 9above] but that he loved us and sent his Son to be *See ch. 2:2the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 *ver. 20;John 1:18;1 Tim. 6:16No 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. 3:24By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And *ch. 1:1,2we have seen and testify that *See John 3:17the 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. 16 So *John 6:69we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. *See ver. 8God is love, and *ver. 12;ch. 3:24whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this *[ch. 2:5] is love perfected with us, so that *ch. 2:28;3:21we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because *[ch. 3:1]as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There 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. 17above]been perfected in love. 19 *ver. 10We love because he first loved us. 20 *ch. 2:4;3:17If anyone says, "I love God," and *ch. 2:9,11hates 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. 21 And *Gal. 6:2this commandment we have from him: *ver. 7;ch. 3:11whoever loves God must also love his brother.