Loving God, Keeping Commands, Overcoming World (1 John 5:1-5)

LOVING GOD, KEEPING COMMANDS, OVERCOMING WORLD (1 JOHN 5:1-5): 

After stressing about the importance of Love for believers, the author continues to write about loving God and what it means to love God. The author writes that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. The person who had accepted, believed, and committed to God, with the genuine heart had gained the deliverance and had born as a new creation. But that doesn’t just stop there if the person genuinely experienced the love of God and defined his life according to the purpose of God. The person will live an exemplary life by loving others who had been born of God, as they are the children of God too.

The author also writes that believers should love the children of God when they love God and obey His commandments, also through which they shall know love. Because keeping the commandments of God help us to show the love of God, as His commandments are not burdensome. It is not only that the love of God is explicit by loving others but the love for the children of God could also imply that it is because of loving God by following the instructions and regulations from the sovereign God. A person who loves God will strive to keep the commandments of God as it would really please God. Though a person could commit himself to keep the commandments of God, it would not be possible without his willingness or interest, as the commandments of God are not meant to the human beings to blindly follow some set of instructions in order to just please the master. But the commandments of God, are surely with a good purpose and it is meant for the valuable, joyful, lovely, and peaceful life that is not burdensome.

The author further writes that the commandments of God are not burdensome, because everyone who has been born of God overcomes the things of the world. Faith is the victory that has overcome the world. Apostle John also says rhetorically that no one overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. The commandments of God help a person to overcome the false standards, immorality, illusions, and betrayals of the world through something that makes a leap towards truth, which is our faith. Faith is not just based on reasoning, but without Faith, all the reasoning could be incomplete. Faith helps to have a balance of thoughts and feelings, giving strength beyond our limits. No person has a better hope, better value, and better strength to overcome the fallen world, except the genuine believer in Jesus Christ.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.      Who has been born of God? How?

2.      What does one who loves the Father do?

3.      When we would know that we love the Children of God? How?

4.      What is the love of God? How?

5.      How God’s commandments are not burdensome?

6.      Who overcomes the World? How?

7.      What is the victory that has overcome the World? How?

8.      Who overcomes the World? How?

9.      How we could have a balance in Loving God and Loving the Children of God?

10.  How we could keep the commandments of God and overcome the world?