15 "If you love Me, you
will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another
Counselor to be with you forever. 7 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable
to receive Him because it doesn't see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because
He remains with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am
coming to you.
19 "In a little while the
world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live
too. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am
in you. 21 The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And
the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal
Myself to him." ~ John 14:15-17 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
If you love me, Jesus uses love
verbs 57 times plus all the times he used “philos” translated “friend” then
consider that the principal disciple in John is unnamed and referred to as “the
beloved disciple,” we might think that the author may be pitching a single
issue. Why not, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only
Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal
life.” ~ John 3:16 (HCSB)
Is not love the motivation that is
foundational to the Christian faith? That which lies behind our faith, our
“good works” and the hope we have solely based in our Love for Jesus. Our lives
lived because it is motivated by our love for Jesus is a life magnificently
lived! Do we not laugh, do we not serve and worship, do we not care and pray,
do we not give and work because we love?
Love is our fundamental base to
submissiveness and obedience is the by-product of love. If we love God, we will
submit to God therefore Jesus command “If you love Me” (V15) becomes extremely
illuminating to a loving heart. When our heart becomes connected to Christ
heart, we are connected as one in His love. (Matthew 11:28-30)
This passage from the
Gospel of John begins and ends with love. Christ proclaims that if His
disciples (and us) truly love Him that they and us will follow His
commandments. Nowhere in the Gospel of John does Jesus give us any commandments
except in chapter 13: - (34 "I give you a new commandment: love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. 35 By this all people
will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." ~
John 13:3-35 (HCSB)) Jesus then emphasizes this in chapter 15: - (12 This is My
command: love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this,
that someone would lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:12-13 (HCSB))
We see the repetitive focus on love, one cannot read this text and not take up
the subject of love. I love how Bill Coffin put it: “If we fail in love, we
fail in all things else.”
In John’s understanding of
eschatology the commandment from Jesus to “love” is that judgment and eternal
life is now. As we end each day, as each moment passes during the day we need
as one question: “how have I loved today, how have I not loved today?” When we
ponder this judgment takes place. During the moments we did not love there is
judgment, now know that this is purely identifying and not disciplinary. Jesus
always asks questions of those around Him, questions to help them conclude for
themselves the reasons for their lives and life choices. John 5:6 Jesus ask a
sick man, “Do you want to get well?” To Martha in John 11:26 “Do you believe
this?” Of course Jesus already knew the answers, He ask question so we would
understand and live with a clear understanding of truth, light, glory, love,
abundant that our Creator created us for.
When Christ asks you, “Do you love
Me?” “Do you really love Me?” (John
21:15-19) How will you respond? The only way we can answer yes, as Peter did is
if the spirit fruit of love is apparent in our lives. All the fruits of the
spirit, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, patience and humility are all marks
of Christ disciples imprinted with love. Love always does the hard things when
it is exceptionally hard to do. Love loves those that are unlovable, love takes
a good look into the life of Christ and looks to love as He loved. We are
blessed to live in the love of our Loving Creator so that others will have to
opportunity to experiences His love in us. Love is that which incites us to
submit to His will!
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves his
child. 2 This is how we know that we love God's children when we love God and obey
His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His
commands are not a burden, 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the
world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is
the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of
God? ~ 1 John 5:1-5 (HCSB). Amen. <><
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