Week 30: \u00a0May 13, 2012<\/p>\n
John continues building on the ideal that we are children of God, contrasting sin with abiding in him.<\/p>\n
Study<\/p>\n
14 \u2013 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love[1] remains spiritually[2] dead. <\/strong><\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As is his pattern, John, having given the negative teaching that hating your brother is from the evil one, now gives the positive side: \u00a0Loving your brother is from God, the one who gives life. \u00a0\u00a0We were once dead, but because of Jesus, we have passed from death to life<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The indication of this transition is a love for our brother.\u00a0 Without it, we remain spiritually dead.<\/p>\n \u00a015 \u2013 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him.<\/strong><\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As he so often does, John now sums up this teaching in very stark terms.\u00a0 While Cain was a murderer, John points out that his is not limited just to murders. \u00a0\u00a0His use of Hate (\u03bc\u03b9\u03c3\u1ff6\u03bd) here raises some issues.\u00a0 It seems to be based on Jesus\u2019 teaching in Matt 5:21-22.<\/p>\n “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, ‘You must not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders will be subject to punishment. ‘But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raka!’ will be subject to the Council. And whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell fire.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n That John speaks of hate instead of anger is easy to understand. Hate it fits context better and what would be true of anger would be true of hate.\u00a0 It also fits John practice of stark contrasts.\u00a0 In the context here, hate is contrasted with loving your brother. \u00a0\u00a0Again for John there is no middle ground. \u00a0\u00a0He has also just talked about how the world hates Christians (v 13).\u00a0 \u00a0As such his comments here are aimed more at the world than us. For the world hates us without cause.<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At first the equation of hate with murder may seem like an exaggeration, but it is not such a leap as it may at first seem.\u00a0 We, after all want to get rid of that which we hate. It is also very difficult to treat people that we hate as people. Instead they become labels, and we have in effect murdered there humanity. \u00a0(See discussion below)<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Murder is the ultimate rebellion against God.\u00a0 Jesus is the Life (John 14:6) and as such, to take life without just cause (i.e., the difference between murder and killing), is the ultimate rebellion against God. \u00a0\u00a0It is to ally oneself with the destroyer of life, i.e., Satan.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Questions and Discussion<\/p>\n Verse 15 and its comments on hate generated a lot of discussion, not so much over the prohibition, but rather the related question, of is it ever right to hate?\u00a0\u00a0 Contrary to a lot of people who quickly answer no, I think this is a very complex question. \u00a0\u00a0For many, 1 John 4:8\u2019s statement that, \u201cGod is Love<\/strong><\/em>\u201d precludes any possibility of hate.\u00a0 But the Bible says differently.\u00a0 In Exodus 18:21 Moses is told to pick \u201cmen who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain.<\/strong><\/em>\u201d\u00a0 So here hating is a good thing.\u00a0\u00a0 On the other hand we are also told in Leviticus 19:17 “Do not hate your brother in your heart.<\/strong><\/em>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This shows up in the common phase hate the sin, not the sinner.\u00a0 This is very true, but also very difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then there is the issue of people whose very existence seems to be defined by evil. People such as Osama Bin Laden, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and far too many others. \u00a0Is it permissible to hate them?\u00a0 Again I do not think this is so clear cut, while in theory one could separate out the person from their evil, in these extreme cases this is very difficult if not impossible.\u00a0 The evil is an integral part of who they are. At this point it is important to note that many texts Jesus\u2019 statement in Matthew have the qualifier, \u201cwithout cause<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Even if \u201cwithout cause<\/strong><\/em>\u201d was not original, it is implied in the style which used hyperbole and stark black and white differences as a way of making a point. \u00a0After all, no one would take Jesus\u2019 statement that \u201cIf your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away<\/strong><\/em>\u201d just a few verses later (Mt 5:29) to be to be a literal injunction to Christians. \u00a0\u00a0Then again Jesus\u00a0 says Mat 5:22 that \u201cAnd whoever says ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell fire.<\/strong><\/em>\u201d\u00a0 In Matt 23:17 he says to the Pharisees, \u201cYou blind fools<\/strong><\/em>\u201d again showing that Matthew 5 cannot be taken as an absolute prohibition which no exceptions.<\/p>\n Likewise Jesus was at time angry.\u00a0 In Mark 3:5 Jesus in a dispute over healing on the Sabbath \u201clooked around at them in anger, deeply hurt because of their hard hearts<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d \u00a0Then there was the cleansing of the temple. \u00a0\u00a0This division between a good anger (anger with a just cause) and bad anger used to be common place.\u00a0 In fact the good anger was called righteous indication.<\/p>\n Finally it is also important to consider that he did not reach out to everyone.\u00a0 While he reached out to many, especially those shunned by the culture, such as the Samaritan woman at the well, when he was taken before Herod, \u201cJesus gave him no answer at all<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d (Luke 23:9)\u00a0 No reaching out, no pleas to repent, just silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n A large part of this turns on what is meant by hate.\u00a0 If what we mean by hate is an emotion that will control us, then the answer is no. \u00a0Such hatred in the heart will eat at a person and corrupt their sole.\u00a0 However, if we mean an intellectual attitude, that will depend on the circumstances. \u00a0Luckily very few will ever have to deal with a person the likes of Herod or Hitler. \u00a0The far more likely question for us is:\u00a0 Do we really hate evil.\u00a0 Do we have room in our theology for righteous indication?\u00a0 Or are we so busy loving the sinner, that we just ignore the sin?<\/p>\n If you have question or comments about the class, feel free to send me an email at\u00a0elgin@hushbeck.com<\/a>\u00a0and be sure to put \u201cEpistles of John\u201d in the header.<\/em><\/p>\n See here for references and more background on the class<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n