Verses 9-11: The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
The One Who Hates
John now presents an example of a fellow believer who is ignorant of the Biblical doctrine of love. This person continually proclaims that they are in the Light, having fellowship with God, while at the same time they persistently hate their fellow Christian brother. The verdict is that in reality they are in the darkness, specifically, out of fellowship with God. And the phrase “until now” means that in every instance that they express or mentally hate their brother they are out of fellowship with God and is evidence of their lack of spiritual maturity.
Looking ahead in chapter 4, John further alleges that this individual is a liar:
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)
John uses the word hate only 5 times in this epistle and 4 of the times it is in connection with the sin of hating a brother. Hate is characterized by malicious feelings usually implying active ill will in words and conduct.1 Hatred is a sin that can be committed by thoughts, words and actions (attitudes). We should take note that John does not present a ‘middle’ ground between love and hate—we either love or we hate. The arrogance of the one who hates is on full display when they knowingly or through ignorance boldly claim to be in the Light without any concern whatsoever that the Light will expose the evil of their hatred (cf. John 3:20).
The One Who Loves
In verse 10, John contrasts the one who hates his brother with the one who loves his brother. The one who loves remains continuously in the Light, having fellowship with God. This is positive proof of their spiritual maturity because they keep His commandment to love the brethren (John 13:34; 15:12, 17).
Carefully note what John adds: there is no cause for stumbling in him. The phrase cause for stumbling is one word in the Greek and refers to:
The trigger of a trap on which the bait is placed, and which, when touched by the animal, springs and causes it to close causing entrapment.2
We are able to derive from this that hate is the trigger and when hate is thought or outwardly expressed it causes the hater to be snared and trapped in the darkness—out of fellowship with God. In contrast, the one who loves his fellow Christians there is no stumbling out of fellowship but instead they remain in fellowship with God, enjoying the blessings in this relationship and ensuring that they have no impediment for functioning in the Christian way of life.
The Realm of Darkness
John concludes in verse 11 that without a doubt, the one who hates his brother, resides in the realm of darkness, they are out of fellowship with God. He adds that there is absolutely no way that they could consider being in a fellowship relationship with God because they continue to walk in the realm of darkness. Solomon declared that “the fool walks in darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:14). Their walk is characterized as not being “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18). Therefore, the manner in which they conduct their life, is without the foundational basis of Biblical truth—divine viewpoint thinking and reasoning.
This is the end result of being out of fellowship with God. Without the knowledge of Biblical truth and the failure to obey the mandates of His Word, the believer is unable to navigate the Christian way of life instead they operate their life upon human viewpoint. The fact is they have no idea of the spiritual direction where they are going. They leave themselves open to deceiving themselves that they are spiritual while overlooking and/or ignoring the sin of hatred which consumes them and causes them to be out of fellowship with God.
Many fail to recognize that this realm of darkness which the sinning believer dwells causes them to be blinded—the dulling of the intellect3—so that they become dependent upon human viewpoint thinking. So, where does this sort of thinking originate? Just as the Apostle Paul maintained that the “god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 4:4) likewise, believers can also be blinded from Biblical truth by self-deception:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3–4)
The Hate Solution
It should be obvious by now that John emphasizes in all of his writings that the method of functioning in the Christian life is to “walk in the Light” (cf. John 8:12; 12:46). And since there is no middle ground between love and hate, the believer must take a Biblical approach to solving this problem of hating others—believers and unbelievers alike. It is worth posting again the principle developed by Colonel R.B. Thieme, Jr. that enables believers to demonstrate impersonal love for all mankind:
Unlike personal love, which emphasizes the attractiveness of the object of love, impersonal love emphasizes the capacity and integrity of the one who loves. Whereas personal love is an intense and subjective attitude toward a few, impersonal love is a relaxed and objective mental attitude toward everyone—friend or enemy, worthy or unworthy, pleasant or obnoxious. Impersonal love solves problems in personal relationships. The believer with impersonal love is able to accept all people as they are, without demands for reciprocation, without reaction or retaliation, without incurring mental attitude sins. Whether encountering love and admiration or hatred and reproach, this unconditional attitude is stable and enduring. (Colossians 3:12–14; 1 Peter 3:8–9) 4
Thus the believer is divinely enabled to walk in the light. And as Dr. Chafer states: “to be wholly subject to the mind and will of God and adjusted to the holy character of God.”5 Therefore, to “walk in the Light” necessitates that the believer’s attitude is that which strives to emulate the holy character of God. And in so doing, that while in this sphere of fellowship there is a continuous cleansing of sin (1:7) because of the realization of personal sin and the right response of seeking forgiveness (1:9).
Conclusion
Observe the commendation that the Apostle John gave to ‘the chosen lady’ in his second epistle that some of her children were “walking in truth” (2 John 4); and to Gaius in the third epistle that he was “walking in truth” (3 John 3). Since Our Lord stated that the “Word is truth” (John 17:17), these individuals possess a knowledge and observance of Biblical truth. John’s emphasis is upon believers walking in truth/practice of the truth (John 3:21), and for those who do not he asserts that they are liars (1 John 1:6; 2:4). We need to examine ourselves to determine if we are honestly walking in truth.
[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G3404.
[2] Zodhiates, G4625.
[3] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.70.
[4] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, p. 136.
[5] Chafer, Lewis Sperry (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 3.262.
© 2024 David M. Rossi
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