1 John 3:15
[15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
I would like for us to reflect on the first word of our verse. This is a word that reaches all four corners of the globe, and includes each individual soul. The word “whosoever” is a wonderful word when placed in verses like John 5:24 or Romans 10:13. However, when placed in this particular verse, it does not speak of the positive for man, but rather the evil.
I would call the “whosoever” in this verse a sad soul for several reasons. I will give them to you shortly, but let me ask of “whosoever” is reading this to consider two important things. First, inventory your own soul, and secondly, consider a sad soul such as the one in our text.
This soul is sad because it is filled with hatred. If hatred is dealt with and confessed before God, then the soul can have victory. John is speaking about hatred in the continual sense. When hatred is harbored in the heart, then there can be no joy or peace. The soul becomes cold and miserable.
Another reason is because of who this soul has chosen to hate. He has chosen to hate a brother. Now brothers can be good or bad. They can treat you right or they can treat you wrong, but at the end of the day the word “brother” should mean something to all of us. If there is a true family tie, then it should not cause us to hate, but to forgive.
We should consider the degree of hatred this soul has toward his so-called brother. He hates him to the point that he wants to take his life. Perhaps you say you have never wanted to murder anyone, but if they died, how would you feel? The final description of this sad soul is that he does not have eternal life. Hatred has kept him from receiving the treasure of eternal life. Are you this sad soul? Do you know a sad soul today?