1 John 5 - 6.18.24

SCRIPTURE:  1 John 5:1-5 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (NIV) 

OBSERVATION 

This section, along with quite a bit of 1 John, covers how love is intertwined in our Christian life here on earth along with what gave us eternal life: God’s love.

Verse 1 begins with the basics of our Christian love: if we believe Jesus is born of God, and love the father, then you’ll love his child: Jesus and all other believers. Love is the fabric that covers our Christian life. Love is where our faith begins and also how it grows deeper through love.

John further elaborates in verse 2 that love is how we’ll know those who are children of God is by their love of God and how they carry out His commands each day.  Love is something tangible that can be seen, felt, and shared. Love is how we carry ourselves around others and how we treat everyone we encounter each day. We can have confidence in our faith and salvation by living out love in action towards others and to God.

Our love for God is further confirmed in verse 3 by not only keeping His commands BUT to also not see the commands as a burden. When love is at the core of your life as a believer, following any of God’s commands shouldn’t be a burden. Jesus gave us the greatest command in John 13:34-35:  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” How can we take every command as not a burden? The only way is through love. Have you ever had the chance to be so in love with someone that you would do anything for that person? That’s love in action. Take that love and apply it to knowing the depth of God’s love for us in Romans 5:8: “ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Even though we were not worthy, we were sinners and an enemy to God, He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be the pure and undefiled sacrifice for each and every person. His love is what can fuel a passion to love Him (“We love because he first loved us” 1 John 4:19) and can be the motivation to follow his commands without feeling like they’re a burden.

Verse 4 shares love is how we overcome the world and have victory. We live in a fallen world that lacks love for one another. As a believer, through love and Christ’s death, we have overcome the world. Christ broke the curse of sin and death as 1 Corinthians 15:22 says  “Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”  Christ’s death and love for us is how we overcome this world and have victory. In verse 5 John confirms who overcomes the world is reserved exclusively for “Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” If you believe then you have overcome the world!

APPLICATION

Love is what motivated God to send Jesus as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins. When we ask Christ into our lives, love is what motivates us to follow His commands. Through His great love, we can love others – even those who are enemies, who mistreat us, and even those who hurt us. In Matthew 5:43 - 45, Jesus shared “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”  Loving your enemy might be the hardest part of loving others yet it’s an opportunity for Christ’s love to overcome the sinful nature of this world. When I’ve encountered situations or people that are hurtful, all I can think of “this is who Christ died for – and loved.” Somehow shifting the focus off my own hurtful feelings and turning them to how Christ views the person or situation always changes my response. First Peter 4:8 says it best: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

PRAYER

Lord, thank you for loving me in spite of my sinful nature. Thank you for saving me from the curse of this world and giving me victory. Your love is bigger than anything and everything! I’m so thankful for your love which motivates me to follow your commands. Help me to have your love for people and to show your love in every situation, even to those who might hurt me or my family. Guide me to say loving things, do loving gestures, and actions and sharing love to those in need. Ultimately I pray your love will shine through all that I do so others see and find you. In Jesus name I pray! Amen

- Mary Oberg