What one's hatred of others reveals about one's connection with God...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of 1 John. In 1 John 2:3-8, we have discovered that timeless truth our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others.

We have discovered that the person who has a genuine and authentic relationship with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus. However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them.

We discovered that as followers of Jesus we are part of the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth. And as followers of Jesus we remain connected to God as we live in obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus as a result of being mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus. John revealed the reality that we know that we are mystically and spiritually connected with Jesus by whether or not we live a life that looks like Jesus. The person who remains connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus will demonstrate a persistent obedience to the teachings of Jesus and a life that is being transformed from a life marked by selfishness and rebellion to a life marked by Christ-likeness and selfless love.

In addition, we discovered that the commands and demands of Jesus find its true expression through the life of Jesus and through the life of followers of Jesus as they remain connected to God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus. In other words, what it looks like to live a life of obedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is revealed by the life of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus as they faithfully live in obedience to the commands of Jesus in close connection with Jesus.

John then painted a word picture of the sunrise in the morning is designed to remind the readers of his letter throughout history that the light and the love of the kingdom of Heaven have begun to break through the darkness of a world that had been covered in selfishness and rebellion through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the life of followers of Jesus who persist in living a life of obedience to the message and teaching of Jesus.  And as John continues his letter, we see John focus on another claim that those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church were making. We see this claim in 1 John 2: 9-11:

 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who 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.

Here we see John address those who claimed to be “in the Light and yet hates his brother”. When John refers to “The one who says he is in the light” he is referring to someone who says that they have a relationship and live in connection with God. John is addressing those who had left the church and were attempting to get others to leave the church and who were claiming that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was marked by the hatred of others.

However, John states that the person who claimed that one could have close connection with God while living a life that was marked by the hatred of others was in the darkness until now. John’s point is that that the person who claims to have a relationship and close connection with God and yet hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God reveals the reality of moral and spiritual darkness in their lives.

By contrast, John explains that the one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. In other words, the one who demonstrates a warm regard and interest in others that is marked by a selflessness in their relationship with others provides the evidence that they are connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus.

And as a result of being connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus, John states that there is “no cause for stumbling”. Now this phrase refers to something that causes offense or revulsion that results in opposition, disapproval, or hostility. John here is revealing the reality that the person who loves their brother or sister reveals the reality of their relationship and connection with God. And it is this selfless love of others horizontally that results in the removal of that which would cause them to break our connection with God vertically.

By contrast, John states in verse 11 that “the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness”. In other words, the person who hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God are conducting their life in a way that is surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness. And because they are conducting their lives in a way that is surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness, that person “does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” John’s point is that the moral and spiritual darkness that surrounds such a person causes them to be lost and unable to find their way.

One summer during my time at seminary, we took a group of students camping at Mt. Adams in southern Washington State. As part of our trip, we explored some lava tubes. Lava tubes are caves that were formed by lava flows in the past. The particular tube we explored was three miles long. About halfway through the tube, we stopped and turned all the flashlights off and asked the students to be totally quiet. The silence and darkness was overwhelming. I remember thinking that if all the flashlights stopped working, we would never be able to find our way out.

That picture of being totally in the dark is the picture that John is painting here. John paints this picture to point to the reality that the person who hates his brother or sister reveals the reality of their spiritual darkness and their lack of relationship or connection with God. In addition, John here is revealing for us the reality that such spiritual darkness also blinds a person and causes them to be lost, aimless, and unable to find their way to authentic connection with God or His followers as they live life here on earth.

Because, the timeless reality is that our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others. The person who has a genuine and authentic relationship and connection with God will persist in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus. And the person who persists in obeying the commands and demands of Jesus will experience a growing love for Jesus and others that will grow to perfection and maturity. 

However, the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is lying to themselves and others. And the person who claims to have close community with God while living a life that is in disobedience to the commands and demands of Jesus is misleading themselves in way that leads them astray from God and reveals that reality that the truth of God that was communicated to us by Jesus is not in them.

The person who remains connected with God as they are mystically and spiritually united with Jesus will demonstrate a persistent obedience to the teachings of Jesus and a life that is being transformed from a life marked by selfishness and rebellion to a life marked by Christ-likeness and selfless love.   

However, the person who claims to have a relationship and close connection with God and yet hates and detests those around him who are created in the image of God reveals the reality of moral and spiritual darkness in their lives. The person who hates his brother or sister reveals the reality of their spiritual darkness and their lack of relationship or connection with God. And it is this spiritual darkness also blinds a person and causes them to be lost, aimless, and unable to find their way to authentic relationship or connection with God or with His followers as they live life here on earth.

By contrast, the person who loves their brother or sister reveals the reality of their relationship and connection with God. And it is this selfless love of others horizontally that results in the removal of that which would cause them to break their connection with God vertically.

So here is a question for us to consider: What does the level of your obedience to the message and teachings of Jesus reveal about the level of your connection with Jesus? What does how you treat those around you who are created in the image of God reveal about your connection with God?

Because, as John points out, our obedience to God results in true community with God and others as we grow in our love for God and others...