In a world that values personal freedom and independence above all else, the idea of obeying commandments can seem restrictive and burdensome. Many people view God's commandments as a list of rules designed to steal their joy and limit their freedom. But the Bible presents a radically different picture. God's commandments are not grievous—they are not burdensome or oppressive. Instead, they are the pathway to true joy, genuine freedom, and abundant life.

The apostle John writes in 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." Keeping God's commandments is not an expression of legalism or religious duty—it is an act of love. When we truly love God, we desire to obey Him. And when we obey Him, we discover that His commandments are not heavy burdens but rather light and life-giving instructions from a loving Father who desires our best.

The Nature of God's Commandments

To understand why God's commandments are not grievous, we must first understand their nature and purpose. God did not give us His commandments to make our lives difficult or to rob us of pleasure. He gave them to us because He loves us and knows what is best for us. Psalm 19:7-8 declares, "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 shows us God's heart behind His commandments: "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?" God's commandments are for our good! He commands us to do things that will benefit us, protect us, and lead us to blessing.

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Jesus invites us to take His yoke—to submit to His teaching and authority—with the promise that His burden is light. Following Jesus and obeying His commandments does not weigh us down; it lifts us up.

The Commandment to Love God

When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38). The supreme commandment is to love God with everything we are and have. This is not a burdensome requirement—it is a joyful privilege.

God is infinitely worthy of our love. He created us, sustains us, forgives us, and has prepared eternal life for us. As the psalmist asks in Psalm 116:12, "What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" The appropriate response to God's goodness is wholehearted love. When we truly grasp how much God loves us and all He has done for us, loving Him in return is not difficult—it is natural and delightful.

Deuteronomy 6:5 commanded Israel, "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." This all-encompassing love for God affects every area of our lives—our thoughts, our emotions, our choices, our relationships, our work, our rest. When God has our whole heart, obedience flows naturally from that love.

John 14:15 records Jesus' words: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And again in John 14:21: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." Love for Christ is demonstrated through obedience. And this obedience brings us into deeper fellowship with both the Father and the Son.

The Commandment to Love Others

Jesus continued His answer about the greatest commandment by saying, "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:39-40). The second great commandment is to love others as we love ourselves. This is not burdensome—it is the key to healthy relationships and a thriving community.

John 13:34-35 records Jesus' words to His disciples: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Christian love is patterned after Christ's love for us—sacrificial, unconditional, and unwavering. When we love others with this kind of love, we demonstrate to the world that we belong to Jesus.

When we truly love others, we will not sin against them. We will not lie to them, steal from them, harm them, or covet what belongs to them. Love keeps us from all these sins naturally. This is why love fulfills the law—it accomplishes everything God's commandments require, not out of grudging obedience but out of genuine care for others.

Galatians 5:14 confirms this truth: "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." If we love our neighbor, we will naturally keep all the commandments that govern our relationships with others. Love is not an alternative to God's law—it is the fulfillment of it.

The Commandment to Honor Parents

One of the Ten Commandments given by God is to honor our parents. Ephesians 6:1-3 states, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." This commandment comes with a promise—it will go well with us if we honor our parents.

Honoring our parents is not grievous—it is wise and beneficial. Our parents gave us life, provided for us, protected us, and raised us. Even when they were imperfect (as all parents are), they deserve our honor and respect. God designed the family structure, and honoring parents is essential to healthy families and stable societies.

Proverbs 23:22 instructs, "Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old." Honoring parents is a lifelong responsibility, not something we outgrow when we become adults. As our parents age, our honor toward them should only increase, caring for them as they once cared for us.

The Commandment to Forgive

One of the most challenging commandments Jesus gave is the command to forgive those who wrong us. Matthew 6:14-15 states, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This is a serious command with eternal implications.

Forgiveness may seem burdensome when we have been deeply hurt. Our natural inclination is to hold grudges, seek revenge, or at least demand justice. But unforgiveness is actually far more burdensome than forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive, we imprison ourselves in bitterness, anger, and resentment. These emotions poison our souls and destroy our peace.

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." The basis for our forgiveness of others is God's forgiveness of us. When we remember how much God has forgiven us through Christ, forgiving others becomes both possible and necessary.

In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven." Jesus was not giving a mathematical formula—He was teaching that forgiveness should be unlimited. We should be as ready to forgive on the 491st offense as we were on the first.

The Commandment to Trust God

Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us one of the most beloved commandments in Scripture: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Trusting God is not burdensome—it is the most freeing thing we can do.

When we try to carry all our burdens ourselves, when we attempt to figure everything out with our limited understanding, when we refuse to acknowledge our dependence on God—that is when life becomes grievous and burdensome. But when we cast our cares upon the Lord, trusting in His wisdom, His power, and His love, we find rest for our souls.

Psalm 37:5 counsels, "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." When we commit our way to the Lord and trust Him, He takes responsibility for the outcome. We do not need to worry, fret, or manipulate circumstances. We can rest in the knowledge that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

First Peter 5:7 invites us, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God cares about every detail of our lives. He invites us to cast all our anxieties, worries, and concerns upon Him. This is not because He wants to burden Himself, but because He wants to relieve us. Trusting God means transferring our burdens to His capable shoulders.

The Power to Obey Through the Holy Spirit

God does not command us to obey and then leave us to struggle in our own strength. He has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us for obedience. Romans 8:9-11 declares, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

Every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them from the moment of salvation. The Spirit gives us the desire and the power to obey God's commandments. Philippians 2:13 tells us, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." God works in us, producing both the desire (the will) and the ability (to do) to obey Him.

John 14:26 records Jesus' promise: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Holy Spirit is our teacher, reminding us of God's Word and guiding us in obedience. We are not left to our own resources to figure out how to obey God.

The Blessings of Obedience

God's commandments are not grievous because they lead to blessing, not burden. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 declares, "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God."

Psalm 19:11 says of God's commandments, "Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." There is great reward in obeying God—not just in eternity, but in this life as well. Obedience brings peace, joy, purpose, protection, and the manifest blessing of God upon our lives.

John 13:17 records Jesus' words: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Happiness—true, lasting happiness—comes from doing what we know to be right. It comes from obeying God's commandments. Sin may offer temporary pleasure, but obedience brings enduring joy.

Christ Has Fulfilled the Law

It is crucial to understand that while God's commandments are not grievous, we cannot keep them perfectly in our own strength. Every human being except Jesus Christ has failed to keep God's law completely. Romans 3:23 declares, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all fallen short.

But the wonderful news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf. Matthew 5:17 records His words: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Jesus perfectly kept every commandment of God throughout His entire life. And then He died on the cross, paying the penalty for all our failures to keep God's law.

Romans 10:4 tells us, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Christ has brought the law to its intended goal—He has perfectly fulfilled it. Now, all who believe in Him receive the righteousness of Christ credited to their account. We are not saved by keeping the law but by faith in the One who kept it perfectly for us.