The most prominent attribute of God is His love. It is characterized by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The most prominent attribute of sinful human beings is pride. This is characterized by selfishness and a petty hatred toward anyone who denies it. In this passage of 1 John, we begin to see how God guides His children to live out His character with others even in the midst of conflict. But even more than dealing with the hatefulness of a rebellious generation, we see that God draws his church beyond conflict resolution to intentional, sacrificial love.