"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome."
1 John 5:3
In our culture words like law, obedience, and holiness have a negative connotation. Thus, we tend to see God's laws and commands as a heavy burden. We see holiness as an ideal that is unattainable.
However, scripture doesn't have this view. Jesus and the other apostles saw these words a bit differently. They believed obedience to God's commands was a good thing...a really good thing. Holiness is the amazing truth that God not only forgives our sin, but also gives us the power to overcome sin. This is good news! This is the gospel! And if we really think about it, scripture is right.
Do we really believe that living with a divided heart is easier than living with a united heart fully devoted to Christ?
Wouldn't our relationships be better if we were free from things like pride, selfishness, and hate?
What would it be like to be content with what we have instead of desperate for what we don't?
Wouldn't it be great to be delivered from strongholds like lust and anger? What a relief it would be to be set free from all that plagues us.
God's Word was not given to us to burden us or to restrict us. God's Word is our path to freedom. Sin is not freedom, but rather the worst kind of slavery. God made us good. Sin messed it up. Holiness is the promise that he can make us good again. That is good news!
