Week 35: What is the opposite of love?
Most people would agree that it’s wrong to take the life of another person. But what about things like hatred and uncontrolled anger? Jesus taught His followers to love one another and to show His love to people who don’t know Him. This week we’ll take a closer look at the Sixth Commandment and learn what Jesus said about our attitudes toward other people.
Be ready to read the following passages:
Let’s start it.
Ask each family member to describe a food that they hate to eat and a food that they love to eat.
Let’s learn it.
How did your faces and voices change when you described foods you love versus ones that you hate? The same thing happens when those emotions enter our conversations about people. We often use the word “hate” without much thought. Sometimes, we use strong words that don’t really reflect our true feelings. As we’re about to learn, however, God isn’t pleased when we express hatred towards other people.
The Sixth Commandment has only four words, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), yet the Bible has so much more to say about why we should place a high value on human life. To understand why God gave this command, we need to go back to the beginning – the very beginning. Turn to Genesis 1:27 in your Bible and ask someone in your family to read that verse aloud.
Human beings are different from all other living things. God created us in His image so we could have a personal relationship with Him, the Creator. No other part of creation is as valuable to God as people. But when sin came into the world, it affected how people valued and treated one another. Check out what happened to the very first family in Genesis 4:1-12.
Cain allowed himself to be consumed with a sinful attitude – anger. The result was the murder of his brother Abel. Let’s look at what Jesus taught about the connection between anger and murder in Matthew 5:21-22.
As followers of Christ we would never think about killing someone, but keeping our anger under control is more difficult, isn’t it? Have you ever yelled at a sibling or a friend when you got mad? The words “Raca” and “fool” that Jesus talked about would be like calling someone stupid or an idiot. That kind of attitude fuels anger in your heart and can eventually become hatred if it’s left uncontrolled. Before you continue, check out what 1 John 3:15 says about that.
Wow! John says that whoever hates his brother is a murderer! God looks at the heart, and hating someone is like committing murder in your heart. You see, it’s not enough to simply follow the do’s and don’ts of the Ten Commandments; God also wants our thoughts and attitudes to reflect His character. Check out what Jesus told His disciples in John 13:34-35. Since God loves and values every person, so should we.
Let’s discuss it.
- What causes you to lose your temper or become angry with someone?
- Discuss ways that family members can learn to control strong emotions like anger, jealously, and hatred.
Let’s do it.
Uncontrolled anger and hatred are not from God, so they should never have any place in our lives. We all get mad from time to time, but we need to let God control our emotions before we speak or act out of anger. Having strong negative emotions for another person over and over again should send a warning to your heart. Ask God to help you see that person as God sees him or her. God loves and values every person because each one has been created in His image – even the ones you get angry with. Share with your family how you will show God’s love this week.