1 John 5
Learning to See Obedience as Love
As we sat together reflecting on 1 John 5, we laughed about the cluttered table in front of us—the kind of place in every home where things mysteriously pile up. But once we cleared it off, something in the clarity of the space helped us notice the clarity in John’s opening words:
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”
Those verses immediately grabbed our attention. John ties love and obedience so closely that we can’t help but examine our gut reactions. When we hear the words obey or submit, what rises up in us—joy? Recoil? Defensiveness? Whatever our reaction is, it reveals how we truly view God. If we imagine Him as a harsh taskmaster, commands feel restrictive. But if we trust Him as a good Father, obedience becomes a path to freedom, flourishing, and joy.
We even thought about parenting moments—like the swing-and-trampoline saga in the backyard. Our kids thought our “rules” were fun-killers, but we knew natural consequences were inevitable. When someone finally pinched their hand between the swing and the trampoline frame, it became a perfect moment to explain: we set boundaries because we love you, not because we want to limit your joy.
And the more we talked, the more we realized the same truth applies to how God parents us.
The Testimony That Grounds Our Faith
Another theme that stood out in the chapter is John’s emphasis on testimony—God’s testimony, our testimony, and what it means to believe. In verses 9–13, he tells us plainly that the testimony of God is greater than any human one. And that testimony centers on Jesus: His humanity, His divinity, and His real, historical death.
That’s why verses 6–8 caught our attention:
Jesus came “by water and blood—not by water only, but by water and blood.”
For centuries Christians have debated whether this refers to the sacraments or to something else. But what seems most consistent with John’s writing is this: he’s pointing to the full humanity of Jesus.
In John 19:34, the same writer describes a soldier piercing Jesus’ side, causing blood and water to flow out. It was physical, biological, unmistakably human. John wanted his readers to know: Jesus didn’t just appear human—He truly lived and truly died. That matters because everything in our faith rests on that reality.
If Jesus really lived, really died, and really rose again, then the Spirit, the water, and the blood stand together as one unified testimony that He is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Another popular opinion is that the water refers to Jesus’ baptism done by John the Baptist and His blood signifies the atoning death on the cross. This is why John writes so urgently: so that we may know we have eternal life. Our confidence isn’t built on vague spiritual feelings—it’s built on testimony, truth, and historical reality.
Aligning Our Prayers With God’s Will
Finally, we found ourselves lingering on verses 14–15:
“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
These verses often get misused, especially when pulled out of context. They can sound like God promises to give us whatever we ask—a spiritual vending machine dispensing blessings on demand. But John gives us the essential qualifier: according to His will.
We can pray for health, provision, relationships, clarity—all good things. Yet the heart of Christian prayer isn’t getting what we want; it’s becoming aligned with what God wants. If He’s truly good and truly for us, then His will is always better than ours, even when we don’t see it yet.
So the invitation isn’t to name and claim blessings; it’s to seek alignment. To trust that He hears us. To believe He’s working in and through every situation—life, death, sickness, sorrow, joy, growth. And as we pray, our hearts slowly bend toward His.
Living in the Freedom of God’s Love
As we closed our Bibles and wrapped up our conversation, we kept circling back to this: God’s commands aren’t burdens. They’re invitations into life. His testimony about Jesus anchors our faith in truth. His will shapes our prayers and our desires.
And all of it flows from a Father who knows what’s best for His children.
May we learn to see obedience not as a restriction—but as a response to love.
