1 ¶ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you may know the spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ our Savior has come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit who does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, that you have heard is coming; and even now is already in the world.

4 ¶ You are of God, dear children, and have overcome them: because he who is in you is greater, than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them.

6 We are of God: those who know God accept what we say; those who are not of God will not accept what we say. That is how we can distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

7 ¶ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is from God; and every one who loves has been born of God, and knows God.

8 He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.

9 And God has shown his love for us, by sending his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 This is the love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No man has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is made complete in us.

13 We know that we dwell in him, and he dwells in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 ¶ And we have seen and bear witness that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he who continues in love remains in God, and God in him.

17 ¶ In this our love is made complete, that we might have confidence on the day of judgment: because in this world we are like him.

18 There is no fear in connection with this love; but perfect love eliminates fear: because fear has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for if he does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

21 And we have this commandment from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.