Victory is won
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:3-5
Obedience does not always bring cheer to our hearts, so a profound statement from the text follows: “his commandments are not burdensome.” This stands contrary to what most people think. Certainly, God’s commands are not always the path of least resistance in life. In that sense, it is often easier to disobey God than to obey him. If obeying a command of God is harder than disobeying, the consequences are easier. Sin has a price. When it is paid, we see it would have been easier not to have sinned. So in the long run, obeying God’s commands is not burdensome. This is why Jesus could say that if we are yoked with Him and not the world and sin, we will find that His yoke is easy and his burden is light (see Matthew 11:28–30). John has already encouraged his readers that they are from God and have overcome because “[He] who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The victory is already won. We won it (past tense) because of our union Christ. We win the daily battle with sin and temptations not by our ability to ward them off but because we yield to the Spirit within. Jesus said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus’ victory has overcome the evil one and has set his people free from the power of Satan. Faith then is the basis of our victory. “Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5). When we place our faith in Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37–39; 1 Cor. 15:57). The believer is victorious over the world because of his faith in Christ. Seen this way, this verse is not a matter of discouragement rather, it should be a matter of encouragement because in spite of our struggle with sin in our daily lives, the victory is already won. Our salvation is secure in Jesus.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
