This verse is straight down the middle: Saying you're in the light while hating a sibling reveals you are actually in the darkness. 1 John 2:9 provides a severe test: "The one who says that he is in the light and yet hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now". We often wrongly limit "brother or sister" to those with perfect theological alignment. John refers specifically to fellow believers in the body of Christ. Since Jesus mandated sacrificial love even for our "neighbor" (like the Samaritan who helped the man on the road), the standard for loving a sibling in Christ is far higher. The command is simply to love, without caveats. Even viewing someone of a different political persuasion as less than a sibling indicts us and requires us to check ourselves. Lack of love is a critical measure of whether we are walking in integrity. Key Scripture: The one who says that he is in the light and yet hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now (1 John 2:9). Do your political commitments or theological disagreements cause you to denigrate a fellow believer? Where do you need to exercise sacrificial love today?. Let's check ourselves and allow Christ to cause that love to grow.