The Love of God and Universal Obedience
John Guyse. 1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.… I. THE NATURE OF TRUE LOVE TO GOD. 1. The peculiar acts of true love to God. (1) It has a high approbation and esteem of God. (2) It has a most benevolent disposition towards God. (3) Its earnest desire is after God. (4) Its complacency and delight is in God. (5) It is pleased or displeased with itself, according as it is conscious to its own aboundings or defects. 2. The properties of true love to God. (1) It is a judicious love. (2) It is an extensive love. (3) It is a supreme love. (4) It is an abiding love. 3. The effects of this love. A holy imitation of God and devotedness to Him, self-denial, patience, and resignation to His will, the government of all our passions, appetites and behaviour, a departure from everything that offends Him, and laborious endeavours by His grace, to approve ourselves to Him, and glorify His name in all that we do. II. THE INFLUENCE THAT TRUE LOVE TO GOD HAS UNTO OUR OBEDIENCE, OR UNTO OUR KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS. 1. Love to God enters into the very nature of all true and acceptable obedience. 2. Love to God inclines and even constrains us to keep all His commands. 3. Love to God gives us a delight in keeping His commands. They are suited to the holy nature of a newborn soul, whose prime affection is love to God; this takes off distastes, and makes all His precepts agreeable to us; it makes them our choice and our pleasure; it sweetens our obedience, and makes us think nothing a trouble or a burden that God calls us to, and nothing too great to do or suffer for Him, whereby we may please and honour Him, and show our gratitude, love and duty to Him. 4. Love to God will make us persevere in keeping His commands.Use: 1. Let this put us upon serious inquiry whether the love of God dwells in us. 2. Let the sinner against God behold how odious and unworthy the principle is that refuses to obey Him. 3. Let us prize the gospel of the grace of God, and seek help from thence to engage our love and obedience. 4. Let us look and long for the heavenly state, where all our love and obedience shall be perfected. (John Guyse.) Parallel Verses KJV: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. WEB: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.