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1 John 4 (AMP)

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¹ BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world. ² By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) has become man and has come in the flesh is of God ; ³ And every spirit which does not acknowledge and confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God . This is the of the antichrist, which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world. ⁴ Little children, you are of God and have defeated and overcome them , because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world. ⁵ They proceed from the world and are of the world; therefore it is out of the world that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them. ⁶ We are of God. Whoever is learning to know God listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. ⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves is begotten (born) of God and is coming to know and understand God . ⁸ He who does not love has not become acquainted with God , for God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique , into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God loved us so , we also ought to love one another. ¹² No man has at any time seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us! ¹³ By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him. ¹⁷ In this love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment , because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love , but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love . ¹⁹ We love Him, because He first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother , he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother also.