Bound by Love: Obeying God, Loving One Another | 1 John 5:2-3

Lord's Day: October 26, 2025  Preacher: Carlos Montijo  Series: First John  Topic: The Law  Scripture: 1 John 5:1–3; Philippians 2:13; 1 John 4:19; Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23; James 2:14–17; John 14:15, 21–23; 15:8–14, 17; Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:6; Jeremiah 31:33; 1 John 4:7; John 13:34; Romans 12:10, 16; Ephesians 4:2–3; Galatians 6:2; 1 Peter 1:22–25

²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do His commandments. ³For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2–3

• The obedience of love

I.  The Assurance of Our Faith

• Love for God means that “we keep His commandments,” and “His commandments are not burdensome”—because, instead of condemning us, our love for His commandments and our growing obedience to them rather now assure us that we belong to God as His children, and love Him and His other children.

II. God’s love is first in order—prior

• The first command from God that we must obey in order to begin to obey all the rest of His commandments, is to repent and believe the Gospel, to believe that “Jesus is the Christ.”
• Faith is our first response to what God fundamentally requires of us, because “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who draws near to God must [necessarily] believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

III. Take heed to the faithful and true words of “Jesus the Christ”

• God guarantees this new life and new ways of obedience in our own lives as believers, “purposing us and endeavouring us constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience” (Larger Catechism, Q76).
• Both Jesus and God our Father define true love (man's love) primarily and almost exclusively as obedience to His commandments.
• The distinction and harmony of God’s Law and Gospel: The Gospel, the very power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16), births faith in us by God’s Spirit, and faith in the Gospel consequently works through love (Galatians 5:6). The Law, now written on our heart (Jeremiah 31:33), is fulfilled in our love for God and for one another (Romans 13:10).

IV. In addition to the Thou shalt nots, how do we love God & His people in a positive sense as well?

• The “one anothers” of Scripture are how we function as God’s church, and fulfill the Law of God and of Christ, the Law of Love (1 John 4:7)
• One third of the one another commands instruct Christians to love one another.
• One third of the one another commands are about striving for and maintaining unity in the church, in love and in truth.
  • Gently, patiently tolerate (“bear with”) one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:2-3).
  • This does not mean that we should tolerate each other’s sins[1]
• 15% of the one another commands stress humility and deference among believers.
• Many of the one another commands are simple and practical.

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• ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church
  4712 Montana Ave
  El Paso, Texas 79903

Contact us at:

• web: ThornCrownCovenant.Church
  call/text: (915) 843-8088
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Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

[1] See Carlos E. Montijo, ‘Series: Biblical Church Discipline’, ThornCrown Covenant Baptist Church: El Paso, TX, January 2022 <https://www.thorncrowncovenant.church/sermons/series/biblical-church-discipline> [accessed 25 October 2025].