MAY 21, 2024
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (I John 4:20-21)
The fourth chapter of I John cautions Christians against accepting every claim they hear. Instead, believers are urged to scrutinize what they listen to against the fundamental truths of the Gospel. John then reiterates the theme of love, emphasizing how believers should embody the presence of God’s love in their lives. Furthermore, living in accordance with God’s love dispels our fear of judgment. In no uncertain terms, those who profess to love God, but harbor hate towards others are living a lie.
After this chapter, John clearly states the importance of love in the life of a believer. Those who cannot love people they can see cannot love a God whom they cannot. Anyone who harbors hate but claims to love God is a liar. Other parts of this letter have explained that love, shown by Christians, is meant to be how God is ”seen” by the world.
I am reminded of a very searching question that a pastor put to a group of Christian college students who had gathered for a special event. It’s a very simple question, but it has stuck with me. He asked, “If you roomed across the hall from a student who knew nothing about God beyond the fact of knowing that you were a follower, what would be his impression of God based solely on your life?”
Verse 20 marks the fourth of five instances in which John addresses liars in this letter. Love for others, especially fellow Christians, is a fundamental commandment from Christ. Therefore, a person who harbors hate for others but claims to know God is not being truthful. A liar professes to know God but does not adhere to His commandments. A liar denies that Jesus is the Christ. Here, we are reminded that a liar professes love for God, but harbors hate for others.
The second part of the verse adds an explanation, moving from the “seen” to the “unseen.” It is more challenging to love someone you can’t see than you can. If people can’t love those they know, they can’t reasonably claim to love those they can’t. This verse explicitly declares that someone can’t truly love God while hating others. The person who claims to love God must also show love for others.
This also ties into the idea that love is meant to be how God is seen since we can’t see God in all His divine essence. In ourselves and the world, God’s love is meant to be how humanity “sees” Him.
Finally, there is a somewhat technical distinction that is important to make here. John is not saying that love of others is a requirement for genuinely loving God. Many of you are probably asking, “What’s wrong with you? Did you not read the passage?” I did; hear me out. I think of it like the statement, “…faith, if it hath not works, is dead…” (James 2:17). Is this statement saying that works are necessary to have faith? Definitely not! It is saying that your works prove that you have faith. It is similar to this statement in I John: your love for God is proven by your love for others.
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