A mark of true Christian conversion is the love that brothers and sisters in Christ have for one another. John has this to say about the love of the brethren.
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.
1 John 2:9-10 NASB
God is love, and those who have been born again and indwelled with the Spirit of God will love one another (1 John 4:7-11). As Christians we are taught by God to love each other (1 Thess 4:9). Therefore to say we are walking in the light while we hate a fellow believer in Christ is an impossibility!
As the scriptures tell us we are walking blindly in darkness if we harbor hate towards a fellow believer.
Love is not a fuzzy feeling about someone. It is a genuine desire to see the best for someone other than yourself. It acts in the best interest of others. So to withhold good from someone in need is to hate that individual, and thus prove our salvation is not grounded in truth (1 John 3:17-19).
Remember as believers we have a common goal, which is Christ. Therefore it is a great evil to despise someone who shares with us in the kingdom of God. To look down on another Christian, to harbor prejudice against another, to show favoritism, is wicked, and acts against the law of love by which we will be judged (James 2:1-13).
Are you walking in the light, loving your brothers and sisters in Christ? If not, I would question your salvation, you can have no assurance unless you walk in love.
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