Fyrsta Jóhannesarbréf 5:3

Heilögum Biblíunni

3 Því að í þessu birtist elskan til Guðs, að vér höldum hans boðorð. Og boðorð hans eru ekki þung,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

this: Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10, Deuteronomy 7:9, Deuteronomy 10:12, Deuteronomy 10:13, Daniel 9:4, Matthew 12:47-50, John 14:15, John 14:21-24, John 15:10, John 15:14, 2 John 1:6

and: Psalms 19:7-11, Psalms 119:45, Psalms 119:47, Psalms 119:48, Psalms 119:103, Psalms 119:104, Psalms 119:127, Psalms 119:128, Psalms 119:140, Proverbs 3:17, Micah 6:8, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 7:12, Romans 7:22, Hebrews 8:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:22 - General Deuteronomy 6:5 - thou shalt Deuteronomy 11:22 - to love Deuteronomy 26:16 - keep Deuteronomy 30:6 - to love the Lord Deuteronomy 30:16 - to love Joshua 22:5 - love Judges 5:31 - them that Judges 16:15 - when thine 1 Kings 3:3 - loved 1 Kings 12:4 - our yoke 2 Kings 18:6 - kept 2 Chronicles 10:4 - Thy father Psalms 1:2 - But his Psalms 78:7 - keep Psalms 97:10 - Ye that Psalms 116:1 - love Psalms 119:17 - I may live Psalms 119:35 - therein Proverbs 19:16 - keepeth the Matthew 7:24 - whosoever Matthew 11:30 - my yoke Luke 7:47 - she John 12:26 - serve Romans 8:28 - them 1 Corinthians 7:19 - but 1 Corinthians 8:3 - love 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - and labour 1 John 2:3 - if we Revelation 22:14 - Blessed

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments,.... Keeping of the commandments of God is an evidence of love to God; this shows that love is not in word and tongue, in profession only, but in deed and in truth; and that such persons have a sense of the love of God upon their souls, under the influence of which they act; and such shall have, and may expect to have, greater manifestations of the love of God unto them:

and his commandments are not grievous; heavy, burdensome, and disagreeable; by which are meant, not so much the precepts of the moral law, which through the weakness of the flesh are hard to be kept, and cannot be perfectly fulfilled; though believers indeed, being freed from the rigorous exaction, curse, and condemnation of the law, delight in it after the inward man, and serve it cheerfully with their spirit; and still less the commands of the ceremonial law, which were now abolished, and were grievous to be borne; but rather those of faith in Christ, and love to the saints, 1 John 3:23; or it may be the ordinances of the Gospel, baptism, and the Lord's supper, with others, which though disagreeable to unregenerate persons, who do not care to be under the yoke of Christ, however easy and light it is, yet are not heavy and burdensome to regenerate ones; and especially when they have the love of God shed abroad in them, the presence of God with them, communion with Jesus Christ, and a supply of grace and strength from him; then are these ways ways of pleasantness, and paths of peace, and the tabernacles of the Lord are amiable and lovely.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments - This constitutes true love; this furnishes the evidence of it.

And his commandments are not grievous - Greek, “heavy” - βαρεῖαι bareiai; that is, difficult to be borne as a burden. See Matthew 11:30. The meaning is, that his laws are not unreasonable; the duties which he requires are not beyond our ability; his government is not oppressive. It is easy to obey God when the heart is right; and those who endeavor in sincerity to keep his commandments do not complain that they are hard. All complaints of this kind come from those who are not disposed to keep his commandments. Indeed, they object that his laws are unreasonable; that they impose improper restraints; that they are not easily complied with; and that the divine government is one of severity and injustice. But no such complaints come from true Christians. They find his service easier than the service of sin, and the laws of God more mild and easy to be complied with than were those of fashion and honor, which they once endeavored to obey. The service of God is freedom; the service of the world is bondage. No man ever yet heard a true Christian say that the laws of God, requiring him to lead a holy life, were stern and “grievous.” But who has not felt this in regard to the inexorable laws of sin? What votary of the world would not say this if he spoke his real sentiments? Compare the notes at John 8:32.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 John 5:3. For this is the love of God — This the love of God necessarily produces. It is vain to pretend love to God while we live in opposition to his will.

His commandments — To love him with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves, are not grievous-are not burdensome; for no man is burdened with the duties which his own love imposes. The old proverb explains the meaning of the apostle's words, Love feels no loads. Love to God brings strength from God; through his love and his strength, all his commandments are not only easy and light, but pleasant and delightful.

On the love of God, as being the foundation of all religious worship, there is a good saying in Sohar Exod., fol. 23, col. 91: "Rabbi Jesa said, how necessary is it that a man should love the holy blessed God! For he can bring no other worship to God than love; and whoever loves him, and worships him from a principle of love, him the holy blessed God calls his beloved."