This is the message that you heard from the beginning: love each other. Don’t behave like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he kill him? He killed him because his own works were evil, but the works of his brother were righteous. Don’t be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have transferred from death to life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The person who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that murderers don’t have eternal life residing in them. This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:11-16, CEB)
Love each other. Simple, right?
I love the conversation around these verses when people will say that the author here was saying this about the community of believers. Like there really wouldn’t be disagreement amongst believers. But that also says that there really are people that God doesn’t love and those are the people who do not belong to our inner circle. By saying, love each other, only means those in our group mean that we are God. Or at the very least we are creating God in our image and saying that God only loves who we love.
If you hate anyone you are killing them. And if you kill anyone you have no place with God.
So it’s easy. Love everyone. Period.
Love each other.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 