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I John Chapter 4

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darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, if they are ofGod; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby ye know the Spirit ofGod: every spirit which confesses Jesus Christ come in flesh is ofGod;
3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus Christ come in flesh is not ofGod: and this is that [power] of the antichrist, [of] which ye have heard that it comes, and now it is already in the world.
4 Ye are ofGod, 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; for this reason they speak [as] of the world, and the world hears them.
6 We are ofGod; he that knowsGod hears us; he who is not ofGod does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another; because love is ofGod, and every one that loves has been begotten ofGod, and knowsGod.
8 He that loves not has not knownGod; forGod is love.
9 Herein as to us has been manifested the love ofGod, thatGod has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we lovedGod, but that he loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, ifGod has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has seenGod at any time: if we love one another,God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, that he has given to us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen, and testify, that the Father has sent the Son [as] Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son ofGod,God abides in him, and he inGod.
16 And we have known and have believed the love whichGod has to us.God is love, and he that abides in love abides inGod, andGod in him.
17 Herein has love been perfected with us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that even as he is, we also are in this world.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love because he has first loved us.
20 If any one say, I loveGod, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he loveGod whom he has not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he that lovesGod love also his brother.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Charissimi, nolite omni spiritui credere, sed probate spiritus si ex Deo sint: quoniam multi pseudoprophetæ exierunt in mundum.
2 in hoc cognoscitur spiritus Dei: omnis spiritus qui confitetur Iesum Christum in carne venisse, ex Deo est:
3 et omnis spiritus, qui solvit Iesum, ex Deo non est, et hic est Antichristus, de quo audistis quoniam venit, et nunc iam in mundo est.
4 Vos ex Deo estis filioli, et vicistis eum, quoniam maior est qui in vobis est, quam qui in mundo.
5 Ipsi de mundo sunt: ideo de mundo loquuntur, et mundus eos audit.
6 Nos ex Deo sumus. Qui novit Deum, audit nos: qui non est ex Deo, non audit nos: in hoc cognoscimus Spiritum veritatis, et spiritum erroris.
7 Charissimi, diligamus nos invicem: quia charitas ex Deo est. Et omnis, qui diligit, ex Deo natus est, et cognoscit Deum.
8 Qui non diligit, non novit Deum: quoniam Deus charitas est.
9 In hoc apparuit charitas Dei in nobis, quoniam Filium suum unigenitum misit Deus in mundum, ut vivamus per eum.
10 In hoc est charitas: non quasi nos dilexerimus Deum, sed quoniam ipse prior dilexit nos, et misit Filium suum propitiationem pro peccatis nostris.
11 Charissimi, si sic Deus dilexit nos: et nos debemus alterutrum diligere.
12 Deum nemo vidit umquam. Si diligamus invicem, Deus in nobis manet, et charitas eius in nobis perfecta est.
13 In hoc cognoscimus quoniam in eo manemus, et ipse in nobis: quoniam de Spiritu suo dedit nobis.
14 Et vos vidimus, et testificamur quoniam Pater misit Filium suum Salvatorem mundi.
15 Quisquis confessus fuerit quoniam Iesus est Filius Dei, Deus in eo manet, et ipse in Deo.
16 Et nos cognovimus, et credidimus charitati, quam habet Deus in nobis. Deus charitas est: et qui manet in charitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo.
17 In hoc perfecta est charitas Dei nobiscum, ut fiduciam habeamus in die iudicii: quia sicut ille est, et nos sumus in hoc mundo.
18 Timor non est in charitate: sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem, quoniam timor pœnam habet. qui autem timet, non est perfectus in charitate.
19 Nos ergo diligamus Deum, quoniam Deus prior dilexit nos.
20 Si quis dixerit quoniam diligo Deum, et fratrem suum oderit, mendax est. Qui enim non diligit fratrem suum quem vidit, Deum, quem non vidit, quomodo potest diligere?
21 Et hoc mandatum habemus a Deo: ut qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Beloved, every spirit believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false prophets have gone forth to the world;
2 in this know ye the Spirit of God; every spirit that doth confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is,
3 and every spirit that doth not confess Jesus Christ in the flesh having come, of God it is not; and this is that of the antichrist, which ye heard that it doth come, and now in the world it is already.
4 Ye--of God ye are, little children, and ye have overcome them; because greater is He who <FI>is<Fi> in you, than he who is in the world.
5 They--of the world they are; because of this from the world they speak, and the world doth hear them;
6 we--of God we are; he who is knowing God doth hear us; he who is not of God, doth not hear us; from this we know the spirit of the truth, and the spirit of the error.
7 Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;
8 he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God in us, because His Son--the only begotten--hath God sent to the world, that we may live through him;
10 in this is the love, not that we loved God, but that He did love us, and did send His Son a propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if thus did God love us, we also ought one another to love;
12 God no one hath ever seen; if we may love one another, God in us doth remain, and His love is having been perfected in us;
13 in this we know that in Him we do remain, and He in us, because of His Spirit He hath given us.
14 And we--we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son--Saviour of the world;
15 whoever may confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God in him doth remain, and he in God;
16 and we--we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in him.
17 In this made perfect hath been the love with us, that boldness we may have in the day of the judgment, because even as He is, we--we also are in this world;
18 fear is not in the love, but the perfect love doth cast out the fear, because the fear hath punishment, and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in the love;
19 we--we love him, because He--He first loved us;
20 if any one may say--`I love God,' and his brother he may hate, a liar he is; for he who is not loving his brother whom he hath seen, God--whom he hath not seen--how is he able to love?
21 and this <FI>is<Fi> the command we have from Him, that he who is loving God, may also love his brother.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).