Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of Allah, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of Allah: every spirit who confesses that ‘Isa al-Masih has come in the flesh is of Allah, 3and every spirit who does not confess that ‘Isa al-Masih has come in the flesh is not of Allah. This is the spirit of Dajjal, which you have heard is coming, and is in the world already. 4You are of Allah, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. 6We are of Allah. He who knows Allah listens to us. He who is not of Allah does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of Allah; and everyone who loves is born of Allah, and knows Allah. 8He who does not love does not know Allah, for Allah is love. 9By this the love of Allah was revealed to us, that Allah has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved Allah, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice[1] for our sins. 11Beloved, if Allah loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has seen Allah at any time. If we love one another, Allah resides in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we reside in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Saviour of the world. 15Whoever confesses that ‘Isa is Ibn Allah , Allah resides in him, and he in Allah. 16We know and have believed the love which Allah has for us. Allah is love, and he who resides in love resides in Allah, and Allah resides in him. 17In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love Him, because he first loved us. 20If a man says, “I love Allah,“ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love Allah whom he has not seen? 21This commandment we have from him, that he who loves Allah should also love his brother.
[1] 4:10 “atoning sacrifice“ is from the Greek “hilasmos,“ an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation – the sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath because of our sin.