Do Christians Need to Love God?

We’re busy people. Between jobs, school, sports, volunteer positions, and whatever else may be going on we seem to have a shortage of time. Some of us try to maintain a certain level of orderliness to our lives by creating schedules to manage our time better. As we invariably take on more projects, duties, or responsibilities we simply fill them into whatever free time we have left until our planners can no longer hold any more scribbles. Enter sticky notes.

Nonetheless, we have a habit of treating things as another “to-do” on our list, another item to check off by the end of the day. Is this a bad thing? After all, it keeps us organized and structures our lives. Efficiency is not bad. The danger is treating God like just another item to be checked off our to-do list.

Do Christians need to love God? The Bible makes it quite clear. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40). Loving God is our foremost responsibility.

If we are to love God, how am I suppose to know what that looks like? The apostle John tells us “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And His commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). So obeying God is loving Him? Simple enough! Go to church, read your Bible, don’t be an egregious law-breaker, be nice. That’s it, right? Unfortunately, I think that’s the mentality of some people. Christianity somehow gets boiled down to a checklist of things to do or be (or not do and not be). Be sure to check off everything from the list and you’re a good Christian. This isn’t what John is teaching, is it?

Let’s take a closer look at what some of these commands we are to obey actually are. “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matt. 5:21-22a). “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). “Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks lustfully at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28). We are to not be angry, bitter, slanderous, and malicious, but kind, compassionate, and forgiving. We are to not commit adultery. Simple enough, but Jesus said that even looking at a woman lustfully is committing adultery with her.

If we are honest with ourselves just trying to uphold these things is incredibly difficult. These are but a few of the commands we are to obey. You might notice that this has yet to resolve the issue of love being simple obedience. The key is found in 1 John 5:3b “And His commands are not burdensome.” What?! So John is saying it is not burdensome to never look lustfully at a woman in skimpy clothes in the middle of the summer? It isn’t burdensome to not become angry and hostile when someone “pushes our buttons” and provokes a heated argument? Seriously John, it’s not burdensome? What world are you living in?

John is not crazy. He’s absolutely right, these things should not be burdensome. It should not be a burden to not lust to not become angry or bitter. It should not be a burden to pour over the Bible every day. It should not be a burden to go to church on Sunday. Rather, it should be our joy to do these things! It has to do with our heart! If Jesus Christ is your supreme joy, why would it be a burden to read the Bible? It's His love letter to you! Seeing Jesus as precious is not possible unless you’ve experienced the new birth. Everybody is born with a veil over their eyes. As we grow up, there might be people who try to tell us how marvelous creation is, that God is good. However, that blindfold keeps us from seeing anything but darkness. “God is good? All I see is darkness.” This idea of God seems foolish. Our senses tell us there is no great, magnificent God, only the blackness of existence. If this is where you are, I pray Jesus Christ would come and remove that blindfold so that your eyes might open and truly see. I pray that you’d perceive and experience the glory of God, and see His beauty. Taste and see that God is good (Psalm 34:8)! When someone sees the glory of God, their heart becomes inclined toward Him, and their affections are made full in Him. Life change happens (2 Corinthians 3:14-18).

Are you struggling with something in your life? Pornography? Anger? Jealousy? Bitterness? Whatever it may be, know that “...everyone born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4). The power to overcome is through having your eyes opened to the beauty of Jesus by faith (v. 5) and seeing Him as infinitely valuable. Treasure Him above all else, and those areas you struggle in will begin to seem less appealing. When we see Christ for who He is, we see the world for what it is.