Love and Hatred
“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.” (1John 3:11-12).
The above verses highlight the differences between hate and love, as well as how a Christian believer should see love. Hatred often stems from jealousy. Out of jealousy, Cain hated his brother Abel and eventually killed him. This is why hatred is regarded as the spiritual equivalence of murder. If you harbor hatred in your heart, you are not different from a murderer.
John further teaches that “if you refuse to love, you must remain dead; to hate your brother is to be a murderer, and murderers, as you know, do not have eternal life in them” (1 John 3:15). Many Christians today claim to love God but harbor hatred and jealousy against themselves. Christianity is not the reason that many pastors are preaching today.
Some prayer points in church are made out of jealousy and hatred. Beloved, Christianity celebrates love, not hatred. Christians are called to put that love into action through unselfish service. John says, “My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active” (1 John 3:18).
Last but not least, we are to lead people to Christ through love, just as Philip did in the gospel reading. We frequently scare people away from Christ and the church because of our attitude. This year, if you want to be healthy and grow in your Christian life, get rid of envy and hatred.
Let us pray
Father, keep us firm in faith and love, and with Christ as the Shepherd of our souls, bring us the glory you have promised. Amen.
1John 3:11-21/Psalm 99:1-5/John 1:43-51
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
