1 John 2:9-11 TPT “Anyone who says, “I am in the light,” while holding hatred in his heart toward a fellow believer is still in the darkness.
10 But the one who truly loves a fellow believer lives in the light, and there is nothing in him that will cause someone else to stumble.
11 But whoever hates a fellow believer lives in the darkness—stumbling around in the dark with no clue where he is going, for he is blinded by the darkness.”
When you hate a fellow believer, this does not mean the opposite of love. Under God’s definition, for example, and for purposes of understanding, you are to love 100%. If you love 95%, God defines this as hate because the 5% is sin. If you love 98%, this is still considered hate. Therefore, any offense held, jealousy, resentment, competition, bias, disobedience, complaining, bitterness, and unforgiveness is not only a sin but is considered HATE. What does hate do? Hate produces blind spots.
Jesus said if you live in Him, who is the Light, you will not have any darkness. In the Light, you will be able to see clearly with discernment. But if you withhold any love, you will have darkness or blind spots. Depending on how much less you love, you will either have fender benders, a crash, or a stumble and fall on your face. Having no clue of your future, stumbling, constantly making the same mistakes, constantly going around the mountain, and literally walking around like a blind man due to hating a fellow believer(s). And frighteningly, you will NOT make it to heaven if you continue in darkness.
Additional Comment:
1 John 3:15 TPT “Everyone who keeps hating a fellow believer is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
Withholding love produces blind spots, but overly idolizing your children, your spouse, or yourself will also produce blind spots.
Remember the order: you must love God most above all, then others, and then yourself.
In the last days, when people become lovers of themselves means people will love themselves more than God and others as they prioritize themselves.
Pastor Steve Kim