Believing & Loving Jesus
1 John 5:1-12
“Fire and hail, snow, and vapor, stormy wind are simply fulfilling His Word.”
Psalm 148:8
Love for Christ and obedience to Christ are two inextricable sides of the same coin. If we love God it shows up in our loving obedience to God’s will. This protects us from thinking of loving God as a mere emotion or feeling. True love may include moments of emotion but it also requires commitment, volitional action and intention that will carry it through the times when emotions have faded.
“The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.”
A.W. Tozer
“Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
When our motivation becomes love for God, obeying God’s commandments is less burdensome.
John holds the paradox in tension: the Incarnation of Christian faith is built upon the cornerstone that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
“I know that Jesus is the Son of God. But much of the time, I go about my life as if this truth need not disrupt my every moment. I live as if my plans can prosper without Jesus at the heart of them. But Jesus cannot fit around our lives, brought in when he’s convenient. He’s either Lord of everything we have, and are, and ever will become—or he is not.”
Rebecca McLaughlin, Jesus Through the Eyes of Women: How the First Female Disciples Help Us Know and Love the Lord
“The fundamental questions in every religion are the same. By what authority do we believe and teach what we believe and teach? By what means can sinful men and women be reconciled to God, or ‘saved’?”
David Edwards and John Stott, Essentials
I acknowledge that I am a sinner; that I need a Savior. I believe that when Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price for all my sins, past/present and future. I want to place my trust in Jesus as my Savior and LORD.
