the problem is how I see things. I do not believe anyone has the ability to determine whether they hate someone or not. To me, being ignored is being hated. Saying I should try not to hate is meaningless, I can believe that I don't hate someone, and still do. This is works based salvation. I obviously know the Bible verses about hate just as the famous ones in the NT. I also believe that being "disliked" by someone is the same as hate. Same with like vs love etc. one can totally ignore a schizo sister who lives far away, but believe themselves to be enlightened (Hebrews 6:4). People create these equivocal words in order to pretend they're good, when the vast majority are "hating their brother" in a Biblical sense, that verse is used in the same way as the one about merely looking a certain way at a woman with lust / adultery. The way I see it, is in Luke 18, the way this type of person talks just reminds me of that because this person is not beating his chest in repentance, he believes himself to be mostly sanctified. Maybe me saying that I hate someone is me recognizing my sinfulness as the tax collector in Luke 18, ever consider that?
There's a song I have enjoyed listening to a time or two and in it he talks about being in the ocean of blood, praying for peace.
It was actually that song that made me more cognizant of what the Bible teaches in Matthew 5:21-22 and so I do put forth a more concerted effort when speaking online not to be a "murderer", though I sometimes fear I am often misunderstood.
Biblically though, we've been fighting in Armeggedon for a minute with political speech: ocean of blood indeed.
I raised this point to illustrate the sense that whenever we raise the standard up to the standard of Christ, we all fall short. All of us in one way or another fall short of the Glory of God.
This IS what demonstrates our need for a Savior. We can't save ourselves because we cannot follow the law perfectly. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, lived in perfect accordance to the law for us, doing for us what we can not do for ourselves.
His ascension into Heaven caused the promised sending of the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of the Word of God, and strengthens us to battle against our own flesh and desires.
With the Holy Spirit we are able to raise our standard closer to God's than a typical unsaved individual, but we will still have moments we fall short. Daily if we use His Perfect Standard.
However, when we sin we are promised forgiveness when we repent of our sin and ask forgiveness for them. Each moment of each day is a chance for a new start with Christ in our daily life.
Some people in life may have more opportunities to sin than others (I'm disabled, my life is set to boring), other people may be newer Christians and fall more often to sin. But forgiveness is always promised.
All we are here doing is our very best to emulate our Lord and Savior, and to share the Gospel with the lost.
If people don't treat you the way they ought to, while their sin is their own, you don't need to sin yourself in response. We are free from complete bondage to sin, it's our willpower that need to exercise and get stronger, often times.
In the end though, we are all just relying on His forgiveness for sin.
