18 Dear children,(A) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(B)

19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends,(C) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God(D) 22 and receive from him anything we ask,(E) because we keep his commands(F) and do what pleases him.(G) 23 And this is his command: to believe(H) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,(I) and to love one another as he commanded us.(J) 24 The one who keeps God’s commands(K) lives in him,(L) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.(M)

On Denying the Incarnation

Dear friends,(N) do not believe every spirit,(O) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(P) This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh(Q) is from God,(R) but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,(S) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.(T)

You, dear children,(U) are from God and have overcome them,(V) because the one who is in you(W) is greater than the one who is in the world.(X) They are from the world(Y) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.(Z) This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth(AA) and the spirit of falsehood.(AB)


  1. 1 John 4:6 Or spirit

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