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 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. (I John 4:20)

I struggle with the logic of this verse. It has nothing to do with my particular siblings. I won't even say that I'm correct - just that I struggle. It is just with the idea that loving someone who is seen is easier than loving someone who is unseen. The physical people with whom I have lived seem to me to be harder to escape. Their idiosyncrasies and irritating habits are harder to ignore because they’re right there – in your face, demanding immediate response, even if that response is self-control so that you don’t respond badly. Siblings are like face-to-face visits or telephone calls  - one feels obligated to answer what has been said immediately. Because God is unseen, He tends to be easier to ignore. He’s like an e-mail, text message, or letter. You can get back to him when you’ve thought it over.

Now, it’s possible that the brother and sister that John mentioned means those who are also of the faith, but even if that’s the case, they aren’t perfect. They aren’t consistent or constant. God is, which means there’s no question who is in the wrong in any situation. That might not make things easier, but it makes them simpler. But it makes things harder because it means I always lose (even if I win.) With siblings, I might sometimes win (even if I lose as a result.)

But, while I struggle with the logic about visible/invisible, I don’t struggle with the reality that if you hate your physical or spiritual siblings, whom God has given to you for your good, you are hating God. Even if you hate your enemies, you are disobeying God – and how is that not a form of hating Him? 

Feel free to explain it to me.

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