1 John 4:20
1 John 4:20
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
What is it about being easier to do things when we don’t see them in front of us? It cuts across every field of life. For instance, it’s easier to say you’ll walk two kilometers every day until you get the chance to do it in reality, and you find you’re unable to do it. There’s something about having things right in front of us. Sometimes, it makes things harder to do. We often find it easier to “love” a God we haven’t seen but are handicapped to love those we see around us every day. It is easier to love a God that is imaginary to many than the physical people they can see and touch. However, believers are called to love just as God loves. To hate is not necessarily planning to kill your neighbor. It is simply a deviation from the true expression of love. With God, there is only love and hate. So, it’s either we’re loving our neighbors and doing all that 1 Corinthians 13 teaches to be its manifestation, or we are doing something less, which the Bible tags as hate. You cannot love God and hate your brother or sister. Loving God comes with loving other people. There are no gray areas. If we claim to love the invisible God, then we should be ready to love the visible brother and sister we interact with every day.
1 John 2:5
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Romans 13:8
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Luke 6:35
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.