¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 ² By this you will know the Spirit of God—every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, children, and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 ⁵ They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 ⁶ We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us. He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. ⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 8 ⁸ The person who does not love does not know God, for God is love.