Love Contrasted with Hate

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:11-15 ESV)

What’s the story of Cain and Abel? Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve, I believe. Abel was his younger brother, the one who came next. In time they both offered offerings to God. God approved of Abel’s offering, but he had no regard for Cain’s, and that made Cain angry. And so God spoke to Cain, and he said to him, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” But Cain rose up against his brother and he murdered him. (Genesis 4:6-8 ESV)

So, when John wrote about Cain in 1 John, chapter 3, this is what he was referencing. And this is contrasting love with hate. For to love (agape) is to prefer what God prefers, which is to prefer to live through Christ, embracing God’s will, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. And what God prefers is all that is holy, righteous, just, morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). It means that we are actively doing the will of God according to his commands, but in his power, strength, and wisdom, by God’s grace.

So, when we love other humans with this love we are going to do right by them, not evil. We are going to do to them and for them what is for their benefit (in God’s eyes), i.e. what is best for them according to God and to his word. So, we will not deliberately and habitually sin against them. We will not lie to them, plot evil against them, and commit adultery, cheat, steal, manipulate, trick, betray, and dishonor them on purpose, especially not habitually, and not as a means to get even with them when they don’t perform for us in the way in which we think that they ought to.

But when we are hating other humans, in practice, especially those closest to us, and those whom we are to be loving, instead, then we are detesting them, and we are denouncing them, and we are choosing our own way over the right way, and we are selfish in that we are feeding our flesh, out of pride, instead of ministering God’s love and grace, even to our enemies. And this was the Case with Cain. For he was jealous of his brother and of God’s approval of his brother because his brother’s ways were righteous, but his were not, and so he met with God’s disapproval. And that angered him.

And there are many people in this situation today, too, who are professing faith in Jesus Christ, but who are living for the flesh, and not for God, and who are selfish and prideful and full of themselves, and who want recognition and approval from others. So, when they don’t get it, when they think they should, but others do, this angers them. For they want that same approval but without submission to God and to his will for their lives. For they still want to be the ones in control over their own lives and over their own destiny, but while they want the applause, too. 

But we, as followers of Christ, are to be loving others despite how they treat us, and despite what they do to us. And we are to be treating them with kindness. We are to love them, pray for them, do good to them, and bless them, i.e. do to them and for them what is for their benefit (for their good in the eyes of God). And it should not surprise us when others who profess faith in Jesus end up hating us because they know that they are not living right, and they know that we are, and so that bothers them. And so they may take it out on us because they are jealous and angry with us.

But here is the bottom line in all of this for us all. If we want to be in true relationship with Jesus Christ, and to have the hope of eternal life with him, then we are to be those who are loving God and who are loving our fellow humans by doing the will of God and by not sinning against the Lord and against other humans, in practice, deliberately. For that is hate, not love. And we are not to be “get even” kind of people who trade “tit for tat” and who pay back to others what we think they did against us, whether or not they actually did evil, or if that is just our perception.

But this isn’t just about not doing evil, but it is about doing good, even to our enemies. For this is not about just putting off things which are bad out of our lives. For we must replace the evil with the good. And so we put off lying, and we tell the truth, and we put off sin, and we put on holiness and righteousness and faithfulness and purity of heart and deeds. And we put off faithlessness and we put on faithfulness. And we put off disobedience, and we put on obedience. And we put off sexual immorality and we put on moral purity and love and faithfulness and obedience to our Lord.

For, if we do not, and if we continue in habitual and deliberate sin against God, and against our fellow humans (or just specific people), and if we do not walk in obedience to our Lord in holy living, according to the Scriptures, we will not inherit eternal life with God. And Jesus will say to us, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). 

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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