I John 4:18-20 Verse 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear drives out punishment. (So the one who fears is not complete in love.) Verse 19 We love because He first loved us. Verse 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. The person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This can be a scary verse. Now, sometimes we hate what our brothers and sisters do, but not them. With our Christian brothers and sisters, it is sometimes hard to tell what we hate. Mostly, if the hurt goes deep into the soul. I believe the soul carries your emotions. I’ve not read that anywhere, so I could be wrong.
I believe the fear comes into play because they are afraid to meet the Lord with this guilt of not being able to forgive or love a brother. This in itself is punishment. This can keep you from moving forward. The only way to move forward is to ask Jesus, through the Holy Spirit to help you. It will not happen overnight. If this person keeps adding hurt to your plate, it will take longer. Keep trying. It will be on them and not you.
In your prayers, always ask God to put more love in your heart for Him. The more you love Him, the easier it is to love other people.
We love because He first loved us. Someday we will face the One we love and the One who loves us. Our love for an unseen God is expressed in our love for God’s children….our brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t love them because there is something about their personality we like and so forth. But because they are a child of God. With the completeness of love, we must be willing to sacrifice for them. Then truly, love is completed.