But Jesus says hating someone is murder. And we have 1 John 3:15 >
"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15)
So, any of us needs to seek God for more of His real correction of our nature, so we are not available to any sort of anti-love things which might be able to get the better of us. I consider how socially accepted mommies and daddies were able to curse their own children with the blood of Jesus >
"And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children.'" (Matthew 27:25)
I see how a number of these people were religious, socially accepted, law-abiding, and responsible family people. But in their character they were capable of calling for the torture and murder of God's own Son. And, given the circumstance, this is what they actually did!!
So, every one of us needs to keep seeking God for correction of our real character, to make sure we can not sin, and so we become more and more like Jesus who is so pleasing to our Father and all-loving. The purpose of scriptural correction > Hebrews 12:4-14 > is not only to defend ourselves against sinning, but God desires to truly correct us, by conforming us to Jesus who is so pleasing to Him, and have us sharing as His family with Him and one another (Romans 8:29, Ephesians 4:1-3, Colossians 3:15).
Possibly, I am murdering someone every time I automatically do not love a person the way Jesus does. I am putting that person out of my life, in some way, and therefore somehow killing the person instead of caring for him or her and having hope for the person in prayer > love "hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7).
So, like this > if I am doing inappropriate content, I am only using certain people to look at them, not caring about them in prayer. So, inappropriate content can be a form of murder, by me not giving them life of love through me, in prayer for any and all people. And, in my case, inappropriate content can be in my imagination, even if I do not look at Internet inappropriate content. And I can be picky and choosy about who I am ready to care about and love and forgive.
But Jesus on the cross prayed > "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (in Luke 23:34) In His heart, on that cross, Jesus had hope for those people who were so busy with hating and torturing and killing Him.
And what is involved in God's hope for us? First, He desires for us to be forgiven, and reconciled with Him. Then become more and more like Christ His Son >
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29)
And with this we grow, also, to be ready with forgiveness, and an adoptive spirit (Romans 8:15), hoping for any sinner to be adopted to join our love family in Jesus. And Jesus in us makes us pleasing to our Father like He is so pleasing (1 John 4:17-18, 1 Peter 3:4).
So, it is important to not dwell on how we have been sinning, but get perfect revenge against Satan and his kingdom, by becoming like Jesus who is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:28-30) and so all-loving with hope for anyone, including so we please God, instead.
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
And, by the way, there can be sins which we just kind of ignore and treat them like they are little sins. But even our smaller sins can help to keep us weak so we can keep doing what is more obviously wrong. And, for example, our arguing and complaining might not seem like murder and adultery, but arguing and complaining are anti-love and can be stepping stones to what is worse. There are times when a man has had an argument with his wife, and then he broke down into adultery or murder. And arguing and complaining help to keep us from loving the way we could > therefore >
"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (in Philippians 2:13-16).
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
"Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them." (Colossians 3:19)
Do not excuse any bitterness, at all, and discover how we become able to love, instead
