1 John 3:15
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Hatred is murder at heart, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
What Does 1 John 3:15 Mean?
John presses the seriousness of hatred. Whoever hates his brother is, in God's sight, a murderer. And no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Hatred is not a minor fault but akin to taking life.
This searching word echoes the teaching that sin begins in the heart. Hatred shares the root of murder, and it cannot dwell together with the life of God. John is not condemning the believer who struggles, but exposing the deadly nature of cherished hatred. He calls his readers away from it, toward the love that marks those in whom eternal life truly abides.
In the Original Language
anthropoktonos (ἀνθρωποκτόνος), 'murderer' -- a slayer of human life, the name John gives to one who hates his brother.