What do you think of this passage?
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (KJV)
1Jo 5:3 The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome. (Message)
I am studying the book of 1 John this month and came upon this verse which has been on my mind for several reasons. For now, let me talk of the foremost thought.
This is the idea that the commandments of God are not burdensome, troublesome or grievous. That is not and idea I have ever heard espoused, nor have I really ever taught that. But since it is in the Word, then I must deal with it. The word 'grevious' means weighty, heavy, burdensome. Notice, though, that the verse states that the commands are not burdensome themselves. Keeping them may be grevious though. I think we all view rules as bad, as something to be opposed to and to try to get around. Here we are told that the commands are actually the way of demonstrating love of God, and if we can show we love God by obeying His commands then the commands would be a relief, a joy, a final answer to the "How" of loving God. What do you all think?
posted by empressbarb at 8:25 PM
1 Comments:
This is a good verse. I like the point you are making about once we obey the laws are a relief and a joy. I think of a child who obeys his parents and finds joy in that obedience and whether they realize it or not actually love and are thankful for the boundaries that have been created for them.
My first read of the passage before I read your comments was that when we love God our perspective changes and we do not view the commandments in a negative way at all. We view it as something we are content to follow. Like a child who moves from the point of grudging obedience to acceptance that their parents truly have their best interests at heart and are happy to make their parents happy and to make good choices for the sake of it.
I view this passage as expressing the fact that the commandments are not greivious or burdensome to us, that does not mean they are easy or not hard at times but rather the way we view them has changed. We have a different perspective on things.
When Billy began travelling I hated for him to go away for a single night. Now when he travels several weeks in a row for a few days each week I think "atleast it is only three days". TO me this passage is more about the perspective of the follower rather than the empirical weight of each commandment.
Kellie-Ann
Post a Comment
<< Home