"Submission To God's Command" (1 John 3:22b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/29/2025 7:54 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                        Focus:  “Submission To God’s Command”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  1 John 3:22b

 

            Message of the verse:  “because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”

 

            Now we have already looked at how John emphasized boldness in prayer, He continues to focus on assurance by again highlighting that believers willingly submit to God’s commands, and the reason is because they desire to bring Him pleasure.  MacArthur writes “John’s purpose here, however, in tying the concepts of answered prayer and active obedience together is not to give believers a selfish, ulterior motive for obeying.  As one commentator explains,

 

“Is John stating two perquisites to answered prayer?  Really not. Obeying God’s commands must never be done under compulsion or for the purpose of [selfishly] receive [earthly] rewards.  The Christian fulfills God’s command with a cheerful heart that expresses gratitude.  John is saying that when we obey his commands, we are doing what is pleasing to God.  By adding the clause and do what pleases him, John rules out any notion of merit; pleasing God flows forth from love and loyalty.  Implicitly John reminds his readers of Jesus. During his earthly ministry, Jesus always sought to please the Father by doing his will (John 8:29).

            “The basis for answered prayer is not blind obedience but a desire to please God with dedicated love.  And God fulfills our requests because of the bond of love and fellowship between Father and child.  (Simon J. Kistemaker, 1 John, New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids; Baker, 2004], 317).”

 

“John’s emphasis then is not true, heartfelt obedience (motivated by love), as opposed to a false, external legalism (motivated by selfish ambition and pride).  Jesus declared this truth to His apostles in the upper room:

 

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:7-10).”

 

            It is throughout the New Testament, the necessity that believers keep His commandments is explicitly or implicitly indicated by every command given to them.  Now let us look at some verse references that back up this truth.  (e. g., Matt. 7:21; 16:24; John 14:15; James 1:22).  Now doing the things that are pleasing in His sight should motivate every Christian do; as the rich benediction of the epistle to Hebrews says, and I have to say that this is one of my very favorite benedictions in all the Word of God.

 

20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21  equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

1/29/2025 8:20 PM