1 John 4:20: Loving Your Brother

1 John 4:20.. "If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."

The verse above just might be one of the most convicting in all of scripure. It plainly tells us that if we do not love our brother, we do not love God. It is so clear, so simple, and yet so profound. We cannot love god if we do not love others. Let us look more deeply into how that is true this morning.

John argues his point by stating "for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." John here is stating simply that one cannot love what he cannot see if he does not love what he can see. This is not to say that the love of others does not flow out of a love of God, but rather that if one neglects loving his brother this is evidence that he does not love God. This statement John is making is not a matter of order but of proof. Your love of your brother flows directly out of your love for God, yet they are hand in hand, meaning that if you don't love your brother, it is evident that you don't love God. You cannot do one without the other. Love God. Love People. You cannot love God without loving God's people; you cannot love God's people without loving God.

This verse ties directly into what the Bible calls the greatest and second greatest commandments. Do you remember the story? A wise Pharisee asked God which of the commandments were the greatest. Jesus, in all of his wisdom, replied that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and secondly to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Love is the greatest commandment, first to one's God and second to one's neighbor. Loving God is followed up by loving people. Therefore, if you do not love people, you do not love God (1 John 4:20).

So, do you see what John is saying here? If you don't love your brother, you don't love God. Perhaps this is convicting to you this morning. Is there someone who you have hated toward lately? Is there someone who you have struggled to love? Let me exhort you this morning: if you have hatred toward a brother, you have hatred towards God. I encourage you to realize that God is love, and that you can love him because he first loved you (see 1 John 4:7-10), and out of an overflow of this start loving your brother. Amen.