Hates A Brother?
Dear Saints:
Hates a brother? No way, that doesn’t happen. Christians do not hate anyone including their brothers or sisters. Really? So why is apostle John writing about it. This Letter of John is not the Washington Post or the New York Times but God’s Word to believers and followers of Christ. Yes, we can hate our brother and we have all done so. No one is exempt. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all missed the mark.
"9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 1:9-11.
Notice the continuing tense of the word “hates”. John is not saying “hated” but “hates”. This is the person whose heart is full of hate for a particular brother and continues to hate this brother or sister. The word translated “brother” speaks of “human-brotherhood” or “human-sisterhood” and not just people of one faith in Christ and in the Church.
Do you have any such “brother or sister” in your bucket list? Could the murderer of George Floyd, the President, the abuser of your children or even your own abuser and etc. be in your hate list? Oh friend, the Holy Spirit is saying our “Hate List” should be blank.
We have every reason and right to have such a hate list; BUT in light of the truth that God has removed our sins as far as east is from the west and that our names are written in HIS perfect “book of Life”; we cannot have such a “Hate list”. When we hate, we stumble and cause others to stumble.
I am not saying you will not be tempted to have such a list nor maybe make a temporary list when tempted to hate others; but we must not have a permanent, ongoing list of people we hate. Will people upset us and make us very angry and hurt us deep inside? Yes, Yes, and Yes.
Saints, let us not be “blinded” by the darkness of the world and the hatred of our day. Rather we must continue to abide in the LIGHT who is Jesus. The world and the unredeemed abide in darkness, that is not for us. Yes, we must call out hatred and evil in every place but point all to Jesus who alone takes it away. For our information, hatred is our old nature and it is there but no longer ruling us because of Christ.
Do you have a list you can tear up and shred today? Please do it quickly because that is evidence of Christ living in you. I am encouraged by a sister who wrote and said "I really don’t like President Trump but I am beginning to pray for Him". Thank you my sister. May we all follow your example regardless of our party leaning.
This is not about President Trump or anyone in particular but about your heart and my heart. Christ wants my heart right and cleansed from “all unrighteousness.” If am going to claim to belong to Him and answering a “Christian”, i.e. “Christ-Like” then Christ's love must rule my heart. Let’s cut to the chase. I am either in Christ or not and if I am, my heart has no room for hating and continuing to hate anyone in my biological family and beyond.
Apostle John puts hatred even more bluntly. "14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 1 John 3:14-15. Murderer? This is serious.
Lord, thanking you for loving me and removing the poison of hatred in my heart. Please help me to continue to abide in you and your Word.
Tear up and turn your “hate list” to “prayer list”. Right from the mouth of Jesus:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Mathew 5:43-45.
Let’s go tell this good news to this nation/world and demonstrate it in our daily living. We must start looking inside especially with the racial divide in our society. The Lord is our strength and the Holy Spirit enables us to love all otherwise we will continue to hate others. Amen.
Hates a brother? No way, that doesn’t happen. Christians do not hate anyone including their brothers or sisters. Really? So why is apostle John writing about it. This Letter of John is not the Washington Post or the New York Times but God’s Word to believers and followers of Christ. Yes, we can hate our brother and we have all done so. No one is exempt. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We have all missed the mark.
"9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 1:9-11.
Notice the continuing tense of the word “hates”. John is not saying “hated” but “hates”. This is the person whose heart is full of hate for a particular brother and continues to hate this brother or sister. The word translated “brother” speaks of “human-brotherhood” or “human-sisterhood” and not just people of one faith in Christ and in the Church.
Do you have any such “brother or sister” in your bucket list? Could the murderer of George Floyd, the President, the abuser of your children or even your own abuser and etc. be in your hate list? Oh friend, the Holy Spirit is saying our “Hate List” should be blank.
We have every reason and right to have such a hate list; BUT in light of the truth that God has removed our sins as far as east is from the west and that our names are written in HIS perfect “book of Life”; we cannot have such a “Hate list”. When we hate, we stumble and cause others to stumble.
I am not saying you will not be tempted to have such a list nor maybe make a temporary list when tempted to hate others; but we must not have a permanent, ongoing list of people we hate. Will people upset us and make us very angry and hurt us deep inside? Yes, Yes, and Yes.
Saints, let us not be “blinded” by the darkness of the world and the hatred of our day. Rather we must continue to abide in the LIGHT who is Jesus. The world and the unredeemed abide in darkness, that is not for us. Yes, we must call out hatred and evil in every place but point all to Jesus who alone takes it away. For our information, hatred is our old nature and it is there but no longer ruling us because of Christ.
Do you have a list you can tear up and shred today? Please do it quickly because that is evidence of Christ living in you. I am encouraged by a sister who wrote and said "I really don’t like President Trump but I am beginning to pray for Him". Thank you my sister. May we all follow your example regardless of our party leaning.
This is not about President Trump or anyone in particular but about your heart and my heart. Christ wants my heart right and cleansed from “all unrighteousness.” If am going to claim to belong to Him and answering a “Christian”, i.e. “Christ-Like” then Christ's love must rule my heart. Let’s cut to the chase. I am either in Christ or not and if I am, my heart has no room for hating and continuing to hate anyone in my biological family and beyond.
Apostle John puts hatred even more bluntly. "14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." 1 John 3:14-15. Murderer? This is serious.
Lord, thanking you for loving me and removing the poison of hatred in my heart. Please help me to continue to abide in you and your Word.
Tear up and turn your “hate list” to “prayer list”. Right from the mouth of Jesus:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Mathew 5:43-45.
Let’s go tell this good news to this nation/world and demonstrate it in our daily living. We must start looking inside especially with the racial divide in our society. The Lord is our strength and the Holy Spirit enables us to love all otherwise we will continue to hate others. Amen.
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