Chapter
1 2 3 4 5
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

1 John 4:15

ESV Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
NIV If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.
NASB Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.
CSB Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God--God remains in him and he in God.
NLT All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
KJV Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

What does 1 John 4:15 mean?

John returns again to the idea of "confessing" Jesus from verse 2 and 3. Earlier in the chapter, John taught that the spirit that confesses Jesus is from God. Here, he teaches that the person who confesses that Jesus is God's Son has God living in him, and that person lives in God. John has now shifted from recognizing Jesus in others to recognizing Jesus in one's own life.

First John 4:2 also emphasized that only false teachers deny that Jesus came in the flesh. Here, the truth also requires a person to believe that Jesus is divine—that He is God's Son. Both aspects are essential to knowing God. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. We may not fully understand it, but we must recognize Jesus as both human and divine. Without His humanity, He could not die and rise again. Without His deity, He could not be without sin and offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice. Both aspects of His being are essential to His work and to our salvation.
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What is the Gospel?
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