1 John 5:3-5 - We keep His commandments

5:3

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments”. I have said on several occasions that the love this letter speaks of, indeed that the Bible speaks of, is not sentimental mush, and this verse sums that up beautifully. The love that the Bible speaks of is not just a matter of feelings. Moreover, God’s commands are not burdensome. This is in contrast to the “commands” of the Pharisees, which placed tiresome burdens upon the people. In contrast, doing things God’s way is the best way, it makes our lives better, it makes society better. When we choose to ignore God’s commands we are fools, fools to ourselves and to each other.

5:4

God’s commands are not burdensome, and indeed are good in every way, but the world sees things very differently.  The world is very much against God’s commands. But whoever (the Greek actually says “whatsoever”) is born of God overcomes the world. In a sense it is “us against the world”, and we win! The world is wrong and foolish in the way it chooses to go, but it can seem impossible or wearisome to go against the world all the time, but if we are born of God we can overcome the world. So how do we do this? By faith! Faith says no to the world, it realises the vacuity of the world’s wisdom, and it sees the goodness of God. Faith turns from the world and towards Jesus Christ, and so we win.

5:5

And what is that faith? It is believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and all that that entails. He is the One sent by the Father, He is the One who died on the cross in our place. He is the One who will return to judge the whole world. The gnostics offered another supposed way of overcoming the world, but the only way to overcome the world is to believe in the Son of God. So we have a choice of how we live. We can go along with the world, but if we do that we take all the consequences. And what does the world have to offer? Look around and see what you see in the world. Is that what you want? Or do you want to overcome the world? Do you want to live a life that sets you free, and helps to enable others to be set free? To live differently? This is no easy choice, for it means going against the world, but we do so with all the power of God behind us, the power demonstrated in the cross and resurrection.