When We Love God and Obey Him

“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. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:1-5 ESV)

This word “believes” means to be persuaded, to be persuaded of God. And what God persuades us to do in the Scriptures is to be crucified with him in death to sin and to be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Now the faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, and it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man – so we don’t get to determine what that faith looks like. God does, and his word does, and it involves us dying to sin.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Galatians 5:16-21; Acts 26:18]

Now all this is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but only as we cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives, and we choose his choices, and we choose to obey them in his power. We can only be saved from our bondage to sin and have the hope of eternal life with God if we cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives. And his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14; cf. Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 4:17-24).

For, believing in Jesus Christ is equal to obeying him and his commands (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Luke 9:23-26). And agape love for God means obeying his commands. For this kind of love prefers what God prefers. And so we prefer to live through Christ and to choose his choices and to obey them in his power. And we prefer all that is holy, just, righteous, honest, faithful, morally pure, and obedient to God. And this is because we love God and so we desire to do his will. We want to do what pleases the Lord because we take pleasure in him.

So, we are only born of God if we have died and we are dying with him to sin and if we are living to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands, in practice. This doesn’t make us perfect people, but sin must no longer be what we practice. Now righteousness and obedience to our Lord must be what we practice if we are to be born of God and to be in genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus, and if we are to have salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God in heaven. (See Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-21; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10).

And we can’t even agape love the children of God (fellow Christians) if we do not first love and obey our Lord and his commands (New Covenant). For this is the love of God, that we keep (obey) his commandments (in practice). For if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-persuaded faith in him, and so we are walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in sin, then by the grace of God we are able to overcome the trappings and the attitudes and behaviors of this sinful world. Yet we are only able to overcome the world by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Love Must Be Genuine 

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Based off Romans 12:9-21

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

https://vimeo.com/114695549