Hating My Brother's and Sister's

I was reading 1John 2 and read these verses as I have a billion times in the past...


I thought to myself, "Well, I'm pretty safe in this area because while there are some that I'm not partial to....I certainly don't hate them." Something made me stop and think about my statement in light of these verses. Why does John keep making such a big deal about hating and loving your brothers and sisters? Surely I'm not extraordinary in that I don't hate Christ's Body and yet others do, thus, his need to write about this subject. What am I missing? Then I reread "Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling." It dawned on me that when I cause my brother or sister to stumble into sin I hate them. I also hate them even if I am not the cause but stand idly by and don't encourage them out of their sin. To love them would be for me to encourage them in the good things of God like obeying God's law so that they receive the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I then thought about God. When He states that He hates the wicked we know that He does so in a holy way, but perhaps what He means is that He doesn't love them unto encouraging them to the good things of Himself. They have no part in obeying His law unto a changed heart. To want holiness for others, is ultimate love. To participate in sin with them or to even be silent about their sin, is to hate them. So how many times in a day do I hate my brothers and sisters?......A LOT! May God change my heart!
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