Articles
Important Questions - 16
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20)
John has much to say about brotherly love, but in the above rhetorical question he bluntly confronts the lack of love. Humans often hold contradictory thoughts without realizing it. It seems that John has seen firsthand believers who verbally profess to love God and yet exhibit hatred for their brothers and sisters.
A verbal profession of love for God is easy. It is much more difficult to love those who hurt you, to rescue the wayward, to teach the unlearned, to suffer long with the imperfect, to advise the foolish, to exhort the lazy, to serve the needy, etc.
Someone may say, “I thought John said ‘hate’ your brother, not merely fail to serve him.’” But earlier John issued another rhetorical question: “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?” (3:17).
Hate is not merely overt malice; it is withholding what is in the best interest of others. We must show our love for God by loving those who are God’s.
