To understand Jesus’ teachings, we must realize that deep in our orientations of our spirit we cannot have one posture toward God and a different one toward other people. We are a whole being, and our true character pervades everything we do. We cannot, for example, love God and hate human beings. As the apostle John wrote, “Those who do not love their brother who is visible cannot love God who is invisible” (1 John 4:20). And: “The one who does not love does not know God, who is love” (4:8). Similarly James rules out the blessing of God and the cursing of human beings, “made in the likeness
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