1¶Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα, εἰ ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.
2Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκετε τὸ ˚Πνεῦμα τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ: πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ ˚Ἰησοῦν ˚Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα, ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐστιν,
3καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν ˚Ἰησοῦν, ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου, ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται, καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη.
4Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐστε, τεκνία, καὶ νενικήκατε αὐτούς, ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν, ἢ ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.
5Αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου εἰσίν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου λαλοῦσιν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει.
6Ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐσμεν. Ὁ γινώσκων τὸν ˚Θεὸν, ἀκούει ἡμῶν, ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἀκούει ἡμῶν. Ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης.
7¶Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν, ἐκ τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ γεγέννηται, καὶ γινώσκει τὸν ˚Θεόν.
8Ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν, οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν ˚Θεόν, ὅτι ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.
9Ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν μονογενῆ, ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ ˚Θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ.
10Ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν ˚Θεόν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν.
11Ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν.
12˚Θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται, ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ τετελειωμένη ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστίν.
13¶Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ˚Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν.
14Καὶ ἡμεῖς τεθεάμεθα καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπέσταλκεν τὸν Υἱὸν, Σωτῆρα τοῦ κόσμου.
15Ὃς ἂν ὁμολογήσῃ ὅτι ˚Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ ˚Θεῷ.
16Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. ¶Ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἐν τῷ ˚Θεῷ μένει, καὶ ὁ ˚Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει.
17Ἐν τούτῳ τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθʼ ἡμῶν, ἵνα παρρησίαν ἔχωμεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ὅτι καθὼς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ.
18Φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ἀλλʼ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει, ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος, οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ.
19Ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς.
20Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι “Ἀγαπῶ τὸν ˚Θεόν”, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισῇ, ψεύστης ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν ˚Θεὸν, ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν, οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾶν.
21Καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν ἔχομεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ˚Θεὸν, ἀγαπᾷ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.