Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
and every spirit which confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.
Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them.
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:
hereby know we that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.
And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.
Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love.
We love, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.
And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
Canonical academic citations for 1 John 4 (ERV) — copy in your preferred format.
1 John 4 (ERV). Prime Bible, accessed August 25, 2026. https://primebible.com/erv/1-john/4.
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Christians must test the spirits, for false prophets deny Jesus come in the flesh; true believers know God—who is love—so perfect love casts out fear and requires loving one’s brother.
Focuses on the essentials of Christian love and truth.
1 John 4 is presented with the full Greek interlinear, Strong's numbers, and verse-by-verse cross-references on Prime Bible — a free, nonprofit Bible study platform.