Bible Chapter Summary
1 John 4 Summary
Testing the Spirits and the Supremacy of Love
John instructs believers to test spirits by whether they confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh; those denying this are of antichrist. He teaches that God is love and manifested this love by sending His only Son as propitiation for our sins. Believers ought to love one another, and when they do, God dwells in them and His love is perfected. Perfect love casts out fear, and whoever loves God must also love his brother, for they cannot be separated.
Key themes
Key verses
1 John 4:1
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:8
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
1 John 4:9-10
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
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