Misinterpretations often narrow 'brother' to only biological family, missing its reference to the Christian community; others misuse it to justify hating non-believers by limiting the command to insiders alone, or claim it requires perfect love for all humanity before loving God, distorting its focus on hypocrisy in professed faith amid unrepentant hatred toward fellow believers.
I John 4:20
King James Version (1769)
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
This passage asserts that genuine love for God is inseparable from love for fellow believers, referred to as brothers; anyone claiming to love the invisible God while hating visible brothers is exposed as a liar, highlighting that true faith manifests in practical, observable love for others as the authentic proof of devotion to God.