"Whoever Hates His Brother Is A Murderer"
Dear Saints:
Woo! Did you hear that? “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer”. Come on Apostle John, you are going too far. Are you saying we are all murderers because we all have hated someone at some point? I thought we only have murderers on the streets of Chicago and other major cities with gang warfare and in prisons. Apostle John, you are actually saying we have murderers in the Supreme Court, White House, Congress, Police, Courts, schools, neighborhoods, our homes and families and unfortunately in the churches and everywhere in this world?
Note that Apostle John is repeating and paraphrasing Jesus who said, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those
of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22.
Let’s continue our reading and study of 1 John 3:10-15: .
"10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 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.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"
Holy Spirit, please help me digest what you are saying here. I am a child of God when I am born of God and the seed of Christ is in me. As such, I have passed from death to life because I was dead in my sins but now made alive by Jesus by grace through faith and have trusted in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Because Jesus laid down His life for me, I can now lay down my life for a brother or sister. But I am not really able to love my brother but you Jesus and the Holy Spirit who now live in me will help me do so (Galatians 2:20).
Until I understand and accept how much God loves me, I really cannot allow Jesus to love others through me. Until I understand and accept that my sins are forever forgiven, I cannot forgive another but rather be angry and hateful toward others. Since Christ is in me, I am an "ex-murderer". Hating people is no longer my lifestyle because Christ who is love lives in me.
Folks, we have received Jesus Himself and not just a salvation from hell. Jesus is love and that is why anyone who doesn’t love a brother is described as “child of the devil”. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother”. A child of the devil cannot love anyone and cannot be righteous.
We need to be very clear on loving our brothers and sisters in Christ in these times we live with racial hatred and divide. Do we love and cherish other followers of Christ regardless of their race and political party affiliations? Are we so much into our color churches (white, black, brown, yellow and etc.) that our common bond as children of God have become meaningless? I challenge you to visit or even become a member of a congregation that is different from your skin color.
Some of us think we are Christians because we belong to a particular political party and support a particular candidate. We end up despising and hating other believers and become in essence murderers in the heart. Please let it not be. Politics without love of Christ is hell and hatred. Jesus has even asked us to love our enemies and pray for them.
Only Jesus in us can prevent us from being like Cain who murdered his brother. When we love others, it clearly shows that Jesus, the eternal life lives in us. We can have proof and assurance in the present that we are children of God by our love for one another.
So are you still living a lifestyle of hatred for others? We are all murderers without Jesus inside of us. So why is Apostle John writing his audience? Don’t these people already have Jesus in their lives? He is writing so we can put love and righteousness into practice. Let’s not give lip service to loving people. We can’t just pray for someone who is hungry and we are in a position to feed them and then just tell the person to go and be blessed.
Oh yes, I am being tested on this truth and you will be. Is there someone you presently hate and despise in your heart? Let’s just put it in the open. Some of us hate and despise President Trump; and on the other side former Vice President Biden. Confess to God and repent of this sin today. We must pray for these men and others to come to faith in Jesus.
There is the urgency to introducing people to Jesus. Every murderer need Jesus and that is every person living. Killers or literal murderers and hater-murderers will be in hell; they demonstrate that eternal life (Jesus) is not living in them. Even nice people without Jesus will go to hell.
Are you a nice “murderer” in heart? Repent of your sins, trust in Jesus today and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit to live a new life; and move you from death to life. Amen. Who will you introduce to Jesus and His Gospel in this season?
Oh Lord, I need you Lord more than ever before to allow you to live your life through me. Help me Lord. Amen.
Woo! Did you hear that? “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer”. Come on Apostle John, you are going too far. Are you saying we are all murderers because we all have hated someone at some point? I thought we only have murderers on the streets of Chicago and other major cities with gang warfare and in prisons. Apostle John, you are actually saying we have murderers in the Supreme Court, White House, Congress, Police, Courts, schools, neighborhoods, our homes and families and unfortunately in the churches and everywhere in this world?
Note that Apostle John is repeating and paraphrasing Jesus who said, 21 “You have heard that it was said to those
of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22.
Let’s continue our reading and study of 1 John 3:10-15: .
"10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.
13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 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.
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"
Holy Spirit, please help me digest what you are saying here. I am a child of God when I am born of God and the seed of Christ is in me. As such, I have passed from death to life because I was dead in my sins but now made alive by Jesus by grace through faith and have trusted in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Because Jesus laid down His life for me, I can now lay down my life for a brother or sister. But I am not really able to love my brother but you Jesus and the Holy Spirit who now live in me will help me do so (Galatians 2:20).
Until I understand and accept how much God loves me, I really cannot allow Jesus to love others through me. Until I understand and accept that my sins are forever forgiven, I cannot forgive another but rather be angry and hateful toward others. Since Christ is in me, I am an "ex-murderer". Hating people is no longer my lifestyle because Christ who is love lives in me.
Folks, we have received Jesus Himself and not just a salvation from hell. Jesus is love and that is why anyone who doesn’t love a brother is described as “child of the devil”. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother”. A child of the devil cannot love anyone and cannot be righteous.
We need to be very clear on loving our brothers and sisters in Christ in these times we live with racial hatred and divide. Do we love and cherish other followers of Christ regardless of their race and political party affiliations? Are we so much into our color churches (white, black, brown, yellow and etc.) that our common bond as children of God have become meaningless? I challenge you to visit or even become a member of a congregation that is different from your skin color.
Some of us think we are Christians because we belong to a particular political party and support a particular candidate. We end up despising and hating other believers and become in essence murderers in the heart. Please let it not be. Politics without love of Christ is hell and hatred. Jesus has even asked us to love our enemies and pray for them.
Only Jesus in us can prevent us from being like Cain who murdered his brother. When we love others, it clearly shows that Jesus, the eternal life lives in us. We can have proof and assurance in the present that we are children of God by our love for one another.
So are you still living a lifestyle of hatred for others? We are all murderers without Jesus inside of us. So why is Apostle John writing his audience? Don’t these people already have Jesus in their lives? He is writing so we can put love and righteousness into practice. Let’s not give lip service to loving people. We can’t just pray for someone who is hungry and we are in a position to feed them and then just tell the person to go and be blessed.
Oh yes, I am being tested on this truth and you will be. Is there someone you presently hate and despise in your heart? Let’s just put it in the open. Some of us hate and despise President Trump; and on the other side former Vice President Biden. Confess to God and repent of this sin today. We must pray for these men and others to come to faith in Jesus.
There is the urgency to introducing people to Jesus. Every murderer need Jesus and that is every person living. Killers or literal murderers and hater-murderers will be in hell; they demonstrate that eternal life (Jesus) is not living in them. Even nice people without Jesus will go to hell.
Are you a nice “murderer” in heart? Repent of your sins, trust in Jesus today and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit to live a new life; and move you from death to life. Amen. Who will you introduce to Jesus and His Gospel in this season?
Oh Lord, I need you Lord more than ever before to allow you to live your life through me. Help me Lord. Amen.
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