1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
The Bible treats hatred of others very seriously. What is the relationship of hatred to murder? Murder is caused by hatred. Internally taking the life of someone disregards that person’s right to live. The only love present is self-focused love distorted into hatred. Without the love of God, murder is the ultimate deterioration of selfishness. It is the ultimate rejection of God’s image in another person. It is the lowest state for a human to reach. There is always the opportunity to repent from such a disposition. Hatred sets us on this path of self-destruction. It is the opposite direction of life in Christ. Love brings eternal life and is the evidence of eternal life. Hatred brings destruction in this life and shows that eternal life is not present.
These thoughts challenge me to look carefully at the attitude of my heart. What do I think of the people around me? How do I act towards them? Is my love conditioned and darkened by selfishness? Do I have the seeds of hatred waiting to sprout to life if the conditions caused me to react without love?
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