1 john 4:20

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selenah

Guest
#1
1 John 4 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.


So this has me confused. If we hate our brother or sister we can't love God?
 
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djness

Guest
#2
1 John 4 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.


So this has me confused. If we hate our brother or sister we can't love God?
It's not talking about your siblings if thats what you mean. At least not directly, its saying that you can't go around saying Oh I love the lord and then say oh but I really hate this particular person or goup of people and I am not going to change.

Anyone that harbors that kind of hate towards somone doesn't know about the grace of God.
 
Jan 18, 2011
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#3
1 John 4 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.


So this has me confused. If we hate our brother or sister we can't love God?
Yes, why is that confusing?
 
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selenah

Guest
#5
What about if I told someone that I hate him/her? Does that mean my "love" for God isn't real?
 
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Crazy4GODword

Guest
#6
If you hate your bro or sis, in Christ, then you really don't love God. Because He forgave you and loved you but you reject your brother or sister then you really didn't care about GOD's love that forgave you.
 
Jan 18, 2011
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#7
What about if I told someone that I hate him/her? Does that mean my "love" for God isn't real?
Depends on whether you actually hate them. People sometimes say things in anger that they don't really mean.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#8
What about if I told someone that I hate him/her? Does that mean my "love" for God isn't real?
Selenah

Take some good advice. Many on internet Christian chat sites will give you the perfect Biblical response to a question you pose, but that does not mean they themselves are able to keep to what they are relaying to you.

Of course we should hate no-one, and should always love our neighbour as ourselves if we stick to scripture(as we should)

But If anyone on cc told me they always without fail always love all the Christians they know as themselves I would not believe them.

If we had to be perfect to be in a relationship with God, or to love him none of us would be in a relationship with God

I would say that if in your heart you WANT to come closer to God and live as He would have you live that is enough. We are all a work in progress the whole of our Christian lives.
 

Wonderland

Senior Member
May 6, 2010
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#9
hate = unforgiveness

Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.</SPAN> 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.</SPAN>

We must forgive as we have been forgiven; we must love as we are loved--and I'm pretty sure that means all people, not just brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
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selenah

Guest
#10
hate = unforgiveness

Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.</SPAN> 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.</SPAN>

We must forgive as we have been forgiven; we must love as we are loved--and I'm pretty sure that means all people, not just brothers and sisters in Christ.
What if I, even though I've said I have and tried, can't forgive someone?
 
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1Covenant

Guest
#11
We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and are being sanctified continually. If you are having trouble forgiving this needs to be something you are actively praying about with patience. And in due season, you will receive an answer.

In the meantime, if one were to find themselves in a situation wherein they cannot forgive, then considering one's own sin in regards to the holiness of God is appropriate. Each of us have been forgiven a debt that we could not have paid, however our true opinion of how righteous we think we are without God's sacrifice often reveals itself in how little we are affected by God's sacrifice on our behalf.

Consider the scripture, that whosoever is forgiven much - loves much and whosoever is forgiven little loves little.

This is not implying that some people are more righteous than others but rather that some people recognize their soul's bankruptcy in the sight of God while some think themselves greater than they are.

Remember that our righteousness, not simply our mistakes, are as filthy rags.

"But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away."

If one cannot receive and understand this love God has for us in spite of our "ugly" condition, it will be made manifest in one's life through a lack of love for others and lack of ability to forgive.
 
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AnandaHya

Guest
#12
What if I, even though I've said I have and tried, can't forgive someone?
pray and ask God to help you to forgive them. it took me a while but God showed me how having hate and anger toward another is like trying to hold firing coals to your heart and hoping to toss it in the face of your enemy (because if you can't forgive them they are considered your enemy of your heart even if you never say or do anything intentionly) all that will happen is you will burn your hands and be left with ashes to clean up as the emotion eats through your soul. don't let it consume you. Forgive as our Heavenly Father has forgiven us. we did not deserve it and the people who hurt us don't either but God forgave and loves us and ask we do the same for others. its hard that is why God sent His Holy Spirit to help us.
 

Wonderland

Senior Member
May 6, 2010
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#13
What if I, even though I've said I have and tried, can't forgive someone?
Forgiveness is a choice. If you desire to forgive someone, and work toward that forgiveness, God blesses that attitude and will deliver you of your resentment--but it may take time v(maybe a long time) and require some difficult choices and emotional "work" on your part.

If there is someone in your life who has caused you deep emotional wounds, it might be a good idea to talk to a trusted Christian mentor to help you sort that out. Many people have very legitimate reasons to be resentful and angry, but the bottom line is that Christ calls us to let go of that ange--ultimately we are the only ones who suffer from it--the other person usually isn't affected at all.

Some things to understand about forgiveness: it is not "forgetting" (you may always remember the incident(s); it is not reconciling or having a relationship with the person--although that sometimes is a result of forgiveness it is not a requirement. It is not pretending like what the other person did was ok--it probably wasn't.

Forgiveness is letting go of the anger and resentment you have towards the person. If you hate them, wish ill on them, or want them to suffer, you have not forgiven. If you pity them, have empathy for them, or sincerely have no anger/ill will towards them, you probably have forgiven--but it's a journey. Make sure you take God along for the ride, because you can't do it alone!
 
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selenah

Guest
#14
Thanks guys, that helped alot
 

pickles

Senior Member
Apr 20, 2009
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#15
Jesus said, how you treat the least in my kindom, this you do unto me!

I heard this said best, ones love for Jesus is mesured by the one you love the least.

in Jesus, God bless. :)
pickles