First John 4:1-21

  • Test the message wey them talk say e come from God (1-6)

  • To know and love God (7-21)

    • “God na love” (8, 16)

    • When love dey, fear no go dey (18)

4  My dear brothers, make una no believe every message wey them talk say e come from God,* but make una test the message them* to see whether them really come from God, because plenty lie-lie prophet don dey for the world.  Na like this una go know the message wey come from God: Every message wey agree say Jesus Christ come as person na message wey come from God.  Every message wey them talk say e come from God, but wey no agree say Jesus come as person, no be message from God. Apart from that one, this na the message wey una don hear say go come from the person wey dey against Christ.* And e don already dey for the world now.  My small children, una come from God, and una don win them* because the person wey dey with una strong pass the person wey dey with the world.  Na the world them come from, na im make them de talk things wey come from the world and the world de listen to them.  We come from God. Anybody wey don know God de listen to us; anybody wey no come from God no de listen to us. Na this one go help us know the message of truth wey come from God and the lie-lie message wey no come from God.  My dear brothers, make we continue to show each other love, because love na from God. And anybody wey de show love, na God pikin and e know God.  Anybody wey no de show love never know God, because God na love.  Na this one make us know say God love us, e send im special Son come the world to help us get life. 10  Na wetin the love of God mean be this, no be say na we love God, but na God love us, and send im Son make e use im life do sacrifice wey go make us get peace again with God.* 11  My dear brothers, since na like this God love us, then we too must love each other. 12  Nobody don ever see God. If we continue to love each other, God go continue to dey with us, and im love go continue to dey complete inside us. 13  Wetin make us know say we still dey as one with-am, and e dey as one with us, na say e don give us im spirit. 14  Apart from that one, we ourself don see-am and de talk about-am say the Papa send im Son come as savior of the world. 15  Anybody wey gree say Jesus na the Son of God, God go continue to dey as one with-am, and e go dey as one with God. 16  And we don know and believe say God love us. God na love, and anybody wey continue to de show love, go continue to dey as one with God and God go continue to dey as one with-am. 17  Na like this our love go dey complete, so that we no go fear* to talk for the day of judgment, because just as that one be, na so we ourself be for this world. 18  When love dey, fear no go dey, instead complete love de comot fear,* because fear de hold us down. True-true, na person wey never get complete love de fear. 19  We de show love, because na im first show us love. 20  If anybody de talk say, “I love God,” but e hate im brother, na lie-lie person e be. Because the person wey no love im brother wey e de see, no fit love God wey e never see. 21  And e don command us say, anybody wey love God, must love im brother too.

Footnotes

For Geek na, “every spirit.”
For Greek na, “the spirits.”
Or “antichrist.”
This one na, the lie-lie prophets.
Or “sacrifice wey de cover our sins.”
Or “so that we go dey free.”
Or “de pursue fear comot.”