Whoever says he is in
the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves
his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for
stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks
in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the
darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:9-11 ESV
Once again John shows the
contrast between darkness and light. In this passage he shows us
there is no room for hate in the church. If one does have hatred
toward his brother he is lost. He is wandering in darkness.
But, the one that has love
for his brother is walking in the light and the light is where God
is. He is in the darkness. Only stumbling and hurt are found in the
darkness. To be in darkness is to be blind, because hatred blinds.
I have seen hatred within
the body of Christ and it is ugly, it brings darkness to the one that
hates. It is a darkness that overcomes and overwhelms the one that
carries the burden of hatred. Hatred hardens the heart and weakens
the spirit. The one that shows hatred toward a member of the Lord's
body is showing hatred toward the Lord. In so doing they put
themselves out of fellowship with the Lord and His body.
There is no room for hatred
within the body of Christ. There is only light and to live in Christ
is to live in that light. Light makes everything visible. So, if we
cannot see the need to love our brethren we need to step back into
the light.
We must never forget; to
claim to be a Christian and yet hate a member of Christ' body is to
practice hypocrisy. This hypocrisy is visible within the body and
without the body. This kind of hypocrisy does great damage to the
reputation of the church and the world sees it. When the world sees
it they see no need to change the way they live.
Today let's be a light to
the world and show love for one another so the world will know we are
His.
© 2012 Leo J. Woodman
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