Test the Spirits
1
Beloved, 1do not believe every spirit, but 2test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for 3many 4false prophets 5have gone out into the world.
2
By this you know the Spirit of God: 6every spirit that confesses that 7Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3
and every spirit 8that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and 9now is in the world already.
4
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for 10he who is in you is greater than 11he who is in the world.
6
We are from God. 14Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know 15the Spirit of truth and 16the spirit of error.
God Is Love
7
Beloved, 17let us love one another, for love is from God, and 18whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
9
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that 21God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
10
In this is love, 22not that we have loved God 23but that he loved us and sent his Son to be 24the propitiation for our sins.
11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12
25No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and 26his love is perfected in us.
14
And 28we have seen and testify that 29the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of 30the world.
16
So 32we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 33God is love, and 34whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17
By this 35is love perfected with us, so that 36we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because 37as he is so also are we in this world.
18
There is no fear in love, but 38perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not 39been perfected in love.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)