Online Bible

First Epistle of John, Chapter 4

Twitter · Facebook
1 John 4 NWT - New World Translation1 John 4 NWT - New World Translation

Chapter 4 of 1 John—New World Translation (NWT)

  1. ¶ Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression,[a]1 but test the inspired expressions[b] to see whether they originate with God,2 because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.3
  2. ¶ YOU gain the knowledge of the inspired expression from God4 by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God,5
  3. but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God.6 Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s [inspired expression] which YOU have heard was coming,7 and now it is already in the world.8
  4. ¶ YOU originate with God, little children, and YOU have conquered those [persons],9 because he that is in union10 with YOU is greater11 than he that is in union with the world.12
  5. They originate with the world;13 that is why they speak [what proceeds] from the world and the world listens to them.14
  6. We originate with God.15 He that gains the knowledge of God listens to us;16 he that does not originate with God does not listen to us.17 This is how we take note of the inspired expression of truth and the inspired expression of error.18
  7. ¶ Beloved ones, let us continue loving one another,19 because love20 is from God, and everyone who loves has been born from God21 and gains the knowledge of God.22
  8. He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love.23
  9. By this the love of God was made manifest in our case,24 because God sent forth his only-begotten[c] Son25 into the world that we might gain life through him.26
  10. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent forth his Son as a propitiatory27 sacrifice[d]28 for our sins.29
  11. ¶ Beloved ones, if this is how God loved us, then we are ourselves under obligation to love one another.30
  12. At no time has anyone beheld God.31 If we continue loving one another, God remains in us and his love is made perfect in us.32
  13. By this we gain the knowledge that we are remaining in union33 with him and he in union with us,34 because he has imparted his spirit to us.35
  14. In addition, we ourselves have beheld36 and are bearing witness37 that the Father has sent forth his Son as Savior of the world.38
  15. Whoever makes the confession that Jesus Christ[e] is the Son of God,39 God remains in union with such one and he in union with God.40
  16. And we ourselves have come to know and have believed the love41 that God has in our case.
    ¶ God is love,42 and he that remains in love43 remains in union with God and God remains in union44 with him.
  17. This is how love has been made perfect with us, that we may have freeness of speech[f]45 in the day of judgment,46 because, just as that one is, so are we ourselves in this world.47
  18. There is no fear in love,48 but perfect love throws fear outside,49 because fear exercises a restraint.[g] Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.50
  19. As for us, we love, because he first loved us.51
  20. ¶ If anyone makes the statement: “I love God,” and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar.52 For he who does not love his brother,53 whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen.54
  21. And this commandment we have from him,55 that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also.56

FOOTNOTES

  1. ^ “Inspired expression.” Lit., “spirit.” Gr., pneuʹma·ti; Lat., spi·riʹtu·i; J17,18,22(Heb.), ruʹach.
  2. ^ Or, “test the spirits.” Lit., “be you proving the spirits.”
  3. ^ “Only-begotten.” Gr., mo·no·ge·neʹ; Lat., u·ni·geʹni·tum.
  4. ^ See 2:2 ftn.
  5. ^ “Christ,” B; אAVgSyh omit.
  6. ^ “Freeness of speech.” Or, “boldness.” Lit., “outspokenness.”
  7. ^ Or, “checking; correction; punishment.” Lit., “lopping off.” Gr., koʹla·sin. Compare Mt 25:46 where the same Gr. word occurs.

REFERENCES

  1. ^ De 18:21; 2Th 2:2; 1Ti 4:1
  2. ^ Re 22:6
  3. ^ Mt 24:24; Re 16:14
  4. ^ 2Ti 3:16; Re 22:6
  5. ^ Jn 1:14; 1Co 12:3; Re 19:10
  6. ^ 2Pe 2:1; 1Jo 2:22
  7. ^ 2Th 2:7; 1Jo 2:18
  8. ^ Ac 20:30
  9. ^ 1Jo 5:4
  10. ^ Jn 17:21
  11. ^ 2Ch 20:6
  12. ^ Eph 2:2; 6:12
  13. ^ 1Jo 5:19
  14. ^ Jn 15:19
  15. ^ 1Jo 3:10
  16. ^ Jn 10:27
  17. ^ Jn 8:47; 14:17
  18. ^ 1Jo 4:1
  19. ^ 1Pe 1:22
  20. ^ 1Co 13:13
  21. ^ 1Jo 3:6, 9; 4:16
  22. ^ Jn 17:3
  23. ^ Ex 34:6; Mc 7:18; 1Jo 4:19
  24. ^ Ro 5:8
  25. ^ Jn 1:14
  26. ^ Jn 3:16; Ro 5:21; 8:32; 1Jo 5:11
  27. ^ Ro 3:25; 1Jo 2:2
  28. ^ 1Co 5:7; 2Co 5:21
  29. ^ Heb 2:17; 9:26
  30. ^ Mt 18:33; Jn 15:12; Ro 13:8; 1Jo 3:16
  31. ^ Ex 33:20; Jn 1:18; 4:24; 5:37; 6:46
  32. ^ 1Jo 2:5
  33. ^ Jn 6:56; 15:4
  34. ^ Jn 14:21
  35. ^ 1Jo 3:24
  36. ^ 1Jo 1:1
  37. ^ 1Jo 1:2
  38. ^ Mt 1:21; Jn 3:17; 4:42; 12:47; Ac 5:31
  39. ^ Ro 10:9; 1Jo 2:23
  40. ^ 1Jo 2:24
  41. ^ Jn 3:16
  42. ^ 1Jo 4:8
  43. ^ Mt 22:37
  44. ^ Jn 17:21
  45. ^ Heb 4:16; 1Jo 2:28
  46. ^ Ac 17:31; 2Pe 3:7
  47. ^ Jn 17:16
  48. ^ Ro 8:15
  49. ^ 2Ti 1:7
  50. ^ 1Jo 2:5
  51. ^ 1Jo 4:10
  52. ^ 1Jo 2:4
  53. ^ 1Jo 3:17
  54. ^ 1Jo 3:2; 4:12
  55. ^ Mt 22:37
  56. ^ Mt 22:39; Jn 13:34; 15:12

Read 1 John Chapter 4 in other Bible versions:

Comments

  1. David yakubuDavid yakubu
    Oct 29, 2022 08:05 GMT

    When i do read some comments and seeing that its the same people that are supposed to be called believers but are talking ill of other denominations, it hurts. Let us all remember that We should judge not

    1. jonas smithjonas smith
      Apr 23, 2023 02:57 GMT

      The bible tells us to test the spirits. Satan disguises himself as angel of light. So yes some denomination are not teaching the truth. You are responsible for judging which ones are not. You have to judge the truth at all times. this is what the bible teaches

  2. THTH
    Apr 7, 2021 00:20 GMT

    The NWT is a very good translation. Dr. Jason David BeDuhn PhD attests to that in his book Truth in Translation. drive.google.com/...5p16melHzg8/view

    1. jim mcleodjim mcleod
      Aug 22, 2021 06:16 GMT

      NWT is a false translation that takes away from the deity of Jesus !

  3. SlightlyChaoticSlightlyChaotic
    Jan 30, 2021 16:33 GMT

    Thank you for taking the time to provide this service. I like seeing the NASB on your web page in the same format as I read on paper. On other sites, the text area is smaller, and so I have to keep scrolling down to read and sometimes I lose the context. So I really appreciate the format.

    As far as the NWT, you are certainly free to do whatever you think best with your own web pages. I'd suggest that you make a note anytime you have a translation that is associated with only one denomination or church, for example:
    New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness version).

    In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. the main idea seems to be that you can't easily distinguish between God's people and not-God's people on this earth, so our Lord's response is to wait until they are shown to be the kind of people they are inside. But the NWT seems like false teaching to me. So I think the warning passages from Jesus' apostles are more applicable, as in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he talks about Paul's writings:
    "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures."
    And we also have the positive exhortations, as in 2 Timothy 2:15:
    "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

    1. BroderickBroderick
      Jan 31, 2021 00:57 GMT

      Your suggestion regarding the denominational flagging is duly noted. But I can’t help but wonder, wouldn’t a Catholic also want “Protestant versions” marked as well?

      As for the parable, I’m pretty sure the slaves were convinced in their own minds that they could tell the tares from the wheat. After all, aren’t they the ones who identified the problem in the first place? But the master obviously thought otherwise.

      Furthermore, even at the time when Jesus himself was walking the earth, not everybody who claimed fellowship actually followed him causing John to inquire at Mark 9:39, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him . . . for he who is not against us is for us.”

  4. Joshua HarderJoshua Harder
    Dec 11, 2020 17:48 GMT

    Hello, question.. why have you included the NWT with other legitimate bible translations? Or why have you not atleast included a warning to readers? Don't you fear that someone could be influenced by the Watchtower's intentional heresies? Thank you.

    1. KevinKevin
      Jul 11, 2021 17:45 GMT

      en.m.wikipedia.org/..._Holy_Scriptures

      See the section critical review

  5. julietjuliet
    Aug 17, 2022 09:36 GMT

    the sky is blue

  6. mercymercy
    Aug 12, 2022 21:23 GMT

    i am Mercy, the sky is blue what else do you need

    1. mercymercy
      Aug 12, 2022 21:25 GMT

      i am so sorry, it was a big mistake

  7. God is able to do all thingsGod is able to do all things
    May 17, 2021 17:59 GMT

    Jesus how much love calling yo name

  • Showing 1 - 7 of 7
NOTE: You are replying to 's comment. [Cancel]