Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

1 John 4:15-21

We have a clear indicator of who is and is not a Christian; a person who claims to love God can not hate another. That is the first sign that a person has put their own judgement above God’s and trusted their own perspective above the Almighty. Repent of hate and embrace the divine love of the Lord so that you can share it in truth and grace with others.

Ethan Kirl

Originally published December 9, 2020