Are You Born of God? Part 3 – 1 John 5:2-3

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1Jn 5:2-3

Our ongoing series in Apostle John’s letter to the church examines the evidence of saving faith in a believer’s life. We have learned that he who believes in Jesus Christ for salvation has been regenerated and transformed by the love of God. In response, he loves God and loves fellow believers. In this portion of Scripture, we see how those born of God live in true obedience to Him.

Obedience is inevitable in every Christian’s life. Worship without obedience is not true worship- it is idolatry. (1Jn 2:4; 1Sam 15:22; Lk 6:46) We must obey God because He is trustworthy. Just like Joshua who chose to obey God because of God’s faithfulness, we too can obey because God’s promises never fail. (Joshua 24:15; 23:14) We obey because we love God, who loved us before the foundation of the world, and saved us even while we were yet sinners. (Ps 63:1-2) In obedience our hearts recognize and submit to the lordship of Christ. His Word is the power that turned our hearts to Himself, and it’s by His Word we are equipped for every good work in bearing the fruit of the Spirit. (Lk 5:5, 2Tim 3:16-17)

There are different kinds of false obedience that can confuse us. Those who obey out of fear of getting disciplined practice a servile obedience that does not know of the love and grace in Christ. Some obey carnally, thinking that if they obey, God will bless them with worldly goods. And there are those whose obedience is incomplete, who are reluctant and partial in following Christ. Failing to deny ourselves will hinder our obedience. When obedience becomes dependent on circumstances, emotions, or a subjective knowledge of God, we will fail to obey. Small faith will also hinder our obedience- no matter how we feel or what our circumstances are, we must remember that Jesus is always with us. (Matt 8:26) To obey God, we must deny ourselves and look to God’s Word rather than our emotions. God has given us the gift of prayer, and through Christ we can come before the throne of grace with all our needs and cares. We must increase our faith to improve our obedience, by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith. Read the gospels and ponder on what Jesus did for you. Be in wonder of who Christ is, and be rooted in Him. Stronger faith will lead to faster obedience. (Heb 12:2, 1Pet 1:8)

Obedience is not difficult. God’s commandments are encompassed by two commandments- love God and love your neighbor. (Matt 22:34-40) Obedience is not burdensome, yet many believe it is out of reach. Satan will continually attempt to distort God’s Word to cause confusion in us, but God’s Word is clear and He knows our weakness. He does not cause confusion in revealing His Will, but many ignore God and Scripture to escape the suffering that comes with obeying the Will of God. Sin causes us to conform to the world, hindering us from obedience. (Rom 12:1-2) We must renew our minds through the Word and know how good God’s Will is. Obeying God is the path of true blessing, and Jesus is always with us to relieve us from every burden we bear as we follow Him. (Matt 11:28-30; Rom 8:31-32) As we see God’s Word as it is, we will taste and see that the Lord is good. Believing in Jesus will beget steadfast obedience to God in our lives.