Love vs. Hate

“He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.  But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”  I John 2:10-11

When God gave His Ten Commandments and all of His laws to Moses on Mt. Sinai, it was for the purpose to show man his need for a Savior because, as man quickly discovered, it was impossible to keep every single law.  To break one commandment was equivalent to breaking them all (James 2:10).  God knew that man could not keep all of His laws, but He required man to be obedient and gave man the ability to sacrifice animals as a temporary means to be at peace with Him.  The law was designed to show man that he was a sinful creature who could do nothing to save himself from God’s wrath which will be poured out on sinners who reject Christ, the only means of redemption.  Obedience to God and giving the required sacrifices were the way of life for the Old Testament Jews.  However, God promised to send a Savior whereby men and women would no longer be under the law of sin and death, but rather under the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2), the new commandment about which John was writing (I John 2:8).

When true love rules in the hearts of believers, the darkness is overcome by the true light of Christ which now shines in the hearts and lives of all those who are dedicated to following Christ.  Possessing true love in one’s heart means that there is no room for hate.  To claim that one is living in the light of Christ, yet harbors hate in his or her heart for a fellow believer indicates that the one who hates is actually living in darkness.  In the book of James (3:8-18), the writer shows that believers can’t both curse and bless others by their words.  We can apply this to one’s attitude toward others, both fellow believers and folks who are unbelievers.  James asked how a water fountain could produce both sweet and bitter water at the same time.  It can’t.  It could produce one of the other, but not at the same time.  If that was possible, the bitter would flavor the sweet.  Salt water and sweet mixed would make the sweet somewhat salty.  Hate affects everything it touches, but much more does it affect the one who hates.  It colors his or her world with darkness, envy, greed, cynicism, and a judgmental attitude, a critical spirit.  How can one claim to love God yet hate one whom God created in His image, and whom He loves?

On the other hand, one who loves others is abiding in the light of Christ.  This kind of love is a sacrificial kind of love, one that puts others first and one that desires the best for others, even if it means denying oneself of his or her own desires.  The one who loves won’t have to worry about stumbling around in the dark for the light of Christ shines on his or her footsteps allowing him or her to see the righteous path that Jesus has laid for His followers.  If we truly love Christ, we will see all others as either our brothers or sisters in Christ or see those who don’t know Christ as souls worth saving.

To emphasize the necessity of walking in the light of Christ, John repeated that those who hate are walking in darkness, not knowing where they are going because hate has caused them to be spiritually blind.  Just before Jesus’ crucifixion, He sent some of His disciples to a village of Samaritans in order to prepare a place for Jesus and His disciples to spend the night.  The Samaritans, who hated the Jews, refused entry to their village.  John and his brother, James, became angry and asked Jesus if He was going to call down fire from heaven and destroy them like Elijah called down fire on the king’s messengers (II Kings 1:16).  Jesus rebuked John and James for their vengeful spirit.  He said that He had come to save men, not destroy them (Luke 9:51-56).  When Jesus cast out the moneychangers from the temple, He didn’t hurt them, but made it clear that they were not to desecrate His Father’s house (Luke 19:45-46).  Evil does blind the eyes of those who do evil.

Speaking of evil and hatred, I, like most of you all, have never witnessed such an outpouring of hatred as I have seen over the last couple of weeks on television and online.  We know that outside groups of people who are well organized to stir up trouble and are being paid by men who hate America and Israel are instigating these hateful protests against Israel.  The young college students are easily swayed to get involved in these protests, but few have any idea of what is behind all of these protests.  It appears that most of them have had no spiritual training, and they have no idea of the history of Israel.  I think part of the reason that they are joining in these protests is because they are being told over and over again that they will never own a home nor have a family nor a lucrative career because of the economy and the polices of the current administration, and this is their way of rebelling against what they feel is unfair, blaming the country rather than taking responsibility for themselves.  This younger generation has been brought up to find offense at every little thing.  They don’t know how to handle adversity, and thus, they act out in hostility and anger.  The really frightening part is that these are the so-called leaders of tomorrow.  By the time they make it into the halls of congress and the White House, I will be in heaven, but I worry for my daughter, grandchildren, and all folks who are trying to live righteously and honor the Lord.  I think that our country has gone so far into the darkness, as John wrote, that the only hope we have is the return of Christ.  Even so, come Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).