¹ Beloved, believe not every spirit, (o. pneuma) but try the spirits (o. pneuma) whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

² Hereby know all of you the Spirit (o. pneuma) of God: Every spirit (o. pneuma) that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God:

³ And every spirit (o. pneuma) that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof all of you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

⁴ All of you are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them.

⁶ We are of God: he that knows God hears us; he that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the spirit (o. pneuma) of truth, and the spirit (o. pneuma) of error.

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another: for love (o. agape) is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.

⁸ He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. (o. agape)

⁹ In this was manifested the love (o. agape) of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

¹⁰ Herein is love, (o. agape) 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 ought also to love one another.

¹² No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love (o. agape) is perfected in us.

¹³ Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (o. pneuma)

¹⁴ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁵ Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God.

¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love (o. agape) that God has to us. God is love; (o. agape) and he that dwells in love (o. agape) dwells in God, and God in him.

¹⁷ Herein is our love (o. agape) made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

¹⁸ There is no fear in love; (o. agape) but perfect love (o. agape) casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. (o. agape)

¹⁹ We love him, because he first loved us.

²⁰ If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

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