Overcoming Hatred and Anger

I John 4:20 says, "If someone says, 'I love God', and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"

That is an observation. The love of God has a healing and cleansing power that removes our tendencies towards anger, predjudice, vengeance, hatred, and other evil tempers. It is a love that works above and beyond our eyesight, for two reasons:

  1. The brothers and sisters we see have been created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27), therefore hatred towards any of them is indirectly an attack on God.
  2. The person who has been infected with this love sees the bigger picture. Treasures are not desired on earth, but in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Issues that create hatred are viewed as petty, insignificant, and worldly to the "new creature" Christian (II Corinthians 5:17).
I hear people say, "I have such good reason to be angry at _______." (Fill in the blank: an ex-spouse, former friends, family members, parole officers, or anyone else.) But that's not the issue. If someone has sinned against us, that's between them and God. We are not responsible for their behavior, but only for our own. Christians are not called to hate, but to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21), and to make God's rule in our lives our top priority (Matthew 6:33).

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