Day 359 of 364

^4:1Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ^4:2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ^4:3and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. ^4:4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. ^4:5They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them. ^4:6We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. ^4:7Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ^4:8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. ^4:9By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him. ^4:10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ^4:11Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. ^4:12No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us. ^4:13By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ^4:14We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world. ^4:15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. ^4:16We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ^4:17In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. ^4:18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. ^4:19We love him, because he first loved us. ^4:20If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ^4:21This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother. ^5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. ^5:2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. ^5:3For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous. ^5:4For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. ^5:5Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ^5:6This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ^5:7For there are three who testify: ^5:8the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one. ^5:9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God’s testimony which he has testified concerning his Son. ^5:10He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. ^5:11The testimony is this: that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ^5:12He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life. ^5:13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. ^5:14This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. ^5:15And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. ^5:16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this. ^5:17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. ^5:18We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him. ^5:19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ^5:20We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. ^5:21Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

¹The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not I only, but also all those who know the truth, ²for the truth’s sake, which remains in us, and it will be with us forever: ³Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. ⁴I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, even as we have been commanded by the Father. ⁵Now I beg you, dear lady, not as though I wrote to you a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶This is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. ⁷For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who don’t confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the Antichrist. ⁸Watch yourselves, that we don’t lose the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward. ⁹Whoever transgresses and doesn’t remain in the teaching of Christ doesn’t have God. He who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you and doesn’t bring this teaching, don’t receive him into your house, and don’t welcome him, ¹¹for he who welcomes him participates in his evil deeds. ¹²Having many things to write to you, I don’t want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you and to speak face to face, that our joy may be made full. ¹³The children of your chosen sister greet you. Amen.

¹The elder to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth. ²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers. ³For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than this: to hear about my children walking in truth. ⁵Beloved, you do a faithful work in whatever you accomplish for those who are brothers and strangers. ⁶They have testified about your love before the assembly. You will do well to send them forward on their journey in a way worthy of God, ⁷because for the sake of the Name they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. ⁹I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say. ¹⁰Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, he doesn’t receive the brothers himself, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly. ¹¹Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God. ¹²Demetrius has the testimony of all, and of the truth itself; yes, we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true. ¹³I had many things to write to you, but I am unwilling to write to you with ink and pen; ¹⁴but I hope to see you soon. Then we will speak face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

¹Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: ²May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. ³Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ. ⁵Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe. ⁶Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. ⁷Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, having in the same way as these given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are shown as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. ⁸Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings. ⁹But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason. ¹¹Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion. ¹²These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ¹³wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. ¹⁴About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, ¹⁵to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ¹⁶These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts—and their mouth speaks proud things—showing respect of persons to gain advantage. ¹⁷But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁸They said to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.” ¹⁹These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit. ²⁰But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. ²¹Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²²On some have compassion, making a distinction, ²³and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. ²⁴Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, ²⁵to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.