1 John 5:1–5

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. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This ties a bow around John’s point about love and concludes that it’s all not burdensome. It’s a straightforward, three-step logical progression.

Belief that Jesus is the Christ => born of God.

Born of God => loves Him who begot (We love Him because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:19)

Loves Him who begot (i.e., the Father) => loves him who is begotten of Him (“him,” lower case, means one who is “born of God,” i.e., a Christian).

Therefore, by this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. And don’t forget what 1 John 3:23 said about His commandments.

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment, which is automatic according to the logical progression above.

Therefore, it’s not burdensome.

But John goes on to note, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.” In other words, our overcoming the world is the root of it all being not burdensome. And what has overcome the world?

Our faith.

Yesterday’s lesson was about how perfected love casts out fear. However, perfected love is an advanced skill. Newborn Christians are not expected to have matured to that point yet.

But this connects to today’s point about overcoming the world. We have all overcome the world, even newborn Christians.

Perfected love is within everyone’s reach.

These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.