1 John 5:1–3 (NKJV)
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
St. John continues to teach us faith and love. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, that He is our Advocate and the propitiation for the sins of the world, that one is born of God. Faith regenerates us. Faith in Christ rebirths us as sons of God. John wrote in his gospel, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Faith in Christ makes us new men and women since we are justified by faith alone.
When the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts He creates new hearts in us as well, with new movements and motivations. This is why John can say that God’s commandments aren’t burdensome. Believing the Gospel makes living according to God’s will in the Ten Commandments a joy. Those who are reborn through faith in the Gospel can say with the psalmist, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). We delight in the Law of the Lord and look for ways to love God and our neighbors. Philip Melanchthon writes in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, “Therefore, when we have been justified by faith, and regenerated, we begin to fear God, to pray to him, to expect from him aid, to give thanks and praise him, and to obey him in afflictions. We begin also to love our neighbors” (Ap Ch. III.4). God’s commandments aren’t burdensome because faith regenerates us as God’s children. As children of God, justified and fully forgiven, we begin to keep His commandments in love.
We also love God’s law because it continues to show us our sins. It shows us our sins that we may repent them, rejoice in in the gospel, and work to amend our lives so that we keep His commandments more each day.
Let us pray: Lord God, we give You thanks for rebirthing us through faith in Your gospel and creating in us clean hearts with pure desires. Increase our faith so that we love Your law and rejoice to live in it. Amen.
