For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

The first key to the Christian life, as found in 1 John 4:20–5:15, is to realize that loving our spiritual brothers and sisters is the measure of our love for God. 

Here is the second key, which is found in 1 John 5:3b: 

It is vital that we realize that His commandments are not burdensome!

Many believers wonder how they can keep God’s commandments. They think it is impossible for them to do this because they are imperfect.  

Well, apart from the work of God’s Spirit in our lives, we could not keep His commandments. However, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, “His commandments are not burdensome.” That doesn’t mean that we keep His commandments perfectly. It means that His commandments sync up perfectly with our born-of-God selves.  

Compare Matt 11:30. The Lord Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” John’s teaching here grows out of the direct teaching of Jesus.  

A victim mentality is not Biblical! Many Christians think that they are losers and that confessing their unworthiness is an important part of the Christian life. But that is false humility. Because of what God has given us in the new birth, we have all we need to live in a manner that pleases Him (2 Pet 1:3). Paul said, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” (Rom 7:22).  

His commandments are not burdensome for believers because we are born of God and our born-of-God selves are perfectly delighted to keep His commandments.  

Do you find yourself often telling the Lord, “I want to please You today and every day”? That is a normal expression of who we are in our inner selves. We delight to please God as an expression of our new nature.  

Keeping grace in focus makes it much easier for us to remember that His commandments are not burdensome.