Verse of the Day
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
1 John 4:20-21
Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. he commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.
Introduction
The First Epistle of John reaches one of its most piercing climaxes in chapter 4, verses 20-21. Throughout the letter, the author weaves a tight tapestry of three tests for true Christian fellowship: right belief (orthodoxy), right living (orthopraxy), and right loving (affection for the community). In this passage, the author dismantles the possibility of a private, vertical piety that lacks horizontal expression. The text asserts that the love of God and the love of neighbor are not distinct, optional categories, but are organically united. One cannot exist without the other; the validity of a believer's claim to know God is inextricably bound to their treatment of the human beings standing right in front of them.
Commentary
Verse 20: "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen."
The author begins with a direct confrontation of hypocrisy. The Greek term used for "liar" (pseustes) is severe; it does not denote a mere mistake, but a fundamental falsity of character. This echoes the author's earlier assertions in 1:6 and 2:4, where claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness or disobeying commandments is labeled a lie.
The theological argument here is pragmatic and psychological. It operates on the principle that the visible is more accessible than the invisible. The "brother or sister" acts as a tangible bearer of the Imago Dei (Image of God). If a person lacks the capacity to love the visible image of God—flesh and blood, full of flaws yet present—they certainly lack the capacity to love the invisible Prototype. The text suggests that "hating" a brother or sister (which in Johannine terms can simply mean a lack of active love or indifference) is evidence that the professed love for God is a delusion.
Verse 21: "The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also."
The exposition moves from an argument of impossibility (v. 20) to an argument of obedience (v. 21). The "commandment" likely refers to the Summary of the Law given by Jesus (Mark 12:29-31), fusing Deuteronomy 6:5 (loving God) and Leviticus 19:18 (loving neighbor). The use of the word "must" implies obligation; this love is not a feeling to be waited for, but a duty to be performed. The author closes the loop: loving God requires loving the neighbor. Therefore, the only way to prove one loves God is by obeying His command to love others.
Understanding the Context
To fully grasp the weight of these verses, one must understand the crisis facing the Johannine community. The letter was likely written to a community suffering from a schism (1 John 2:19). The opponents, often identified by scholars as proto-Gnostics or Docetists, claimed a superior, spiritual knowledge (gnosis) of God.
These secessionists likely devalued the material world, believing that the spirit was good and the flesh was irrelevant or evil. Consequently, they may have argued that their spiritual connection to God was unaffected by their ethical behavior or their treatment of other community members. They could claim to "love God" perfectly through intellectual ascent or spiritual experience while neglecting or disdaining the "earthly" brethren.
John counters this by grounding theology in the nature of God as Love (1 John 4:8). Because the true God revealed Himself in flesh (the Incarnation, 1 John 4:2), true spirituality must be incarnational. One cannot claim a high theology while practicing a low sociology. The specific command to love the "brother and sister" was a direct test of orthodoxy against the Gnostic tendency to disembody faith.
Application for Today
In a contemporary context, this passage challenges the modern tendency toward "privatized" spirituality. We often hear phrases like, "It’s just between me and God," or we see a rise in "spiritual but not religious" individualism where community accountability is rejected. 1 John 4:20-21 acts as a corrective, insisting that our relationship with God is publicly verifiable through our relationships with people.
This has profound implications for:
Church Conflict: It removes the option of "detaching" from community while claiming spiritual maturity. One cannot dismiss a fellow believer and simultaneously claim closeness to Christ.
Social Ethics: The reference to those we have "seen" challenges us to look at the marginalized, the poor, and the difficult people in our path. To ignore the needs of the visible person is to ignore God.
Worship: It suggests that worship services or personal devotions are "lies" if they are not accompanied by the hard work of reconciliation and charity.
Reflection
This text serves as a mirror, stripping away the comfort of abstract theology to reveal the reality of the heart. It proposes that the true measure of our devotion is not found in the intensity of our prayers or the depth of our biblical knowledge, but in our patience and kindness toward the specific individuals we find most difficult to love. The "invisible" God we seek to worship has made Himself "visible" in the people around us. Therefore, every interaction with another human being becomes a litmus test of our standing with the Divine. We are invited to realize that we cannot embrace the Father while rejecting His children; to attempt to do so is to live within a contradiction that the Scripture plainly calls a lie.
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verse of the Day is a daily inspirational and encouraging Bible verse, extracted from BibleGateway.com. Commentary by Kenny Sallee, ThM.
No comments:
Post a Comment