If You Love Me
Patrick Bicknell
“Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” John 14:23
Continuing this Easter series of looking at what took place in the upper room with Jesus and His disciples on the night of His betrayal, we get some of the best teachings of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Up to this point in the night, we have seen Jesus wash His disciples’ feet giving them an example of how to serve. Earlier in John 14:6, Jesus gives the great proclamation, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Only a few verses later, we read, “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’” (John 14:23). A common misconception with this verse is that it is teaching that the way to love Jesus is by keeping His Word, or the commandments given to us within Scripture. In other words, many people will try to twist this verse and try to tell us that we must do the commandments in order to love Christ and have a true relationship with Him. They will use this verse to back up their works-based salvation.
However, this is not what Christ is teaching. As I stated earlier, Christ just got done teaching what the only way for salvation was through Him. There is no other way to God but through Christ. There is no other truth in this world but the one that comes from Christ. There is no other true living but the life that lives for Christ. Therefore, He is not teaching us that in order for us to love Him we must do what He has commanded. Rather, Christ is telling us that the only way to do what He has commanded, we must first love Him.
I think a good analogy for this is professional athletes. They work their tails off trying to get to the highest level. Ever since they were little kids they would stay up all night working on their craft. Doing drills over, and over, and over again until it was ingrained into their mind. Now, did they do all of this practice so that they could love their sport? Of course not! They did all of that work because they loved their sport!
The same thing goes for us as believers and followers of Christ. We do not do what Jesus has commanded us to do so that we can eventually learn to love Christ. We love Christ; therefore, we do what He has commanded us to do. In doing His commandments, you will find that you grow deeper in your love for Him. However, it is essential that your work for God first flows from a love for Him and nothing else.
Patrick Bicknell
“Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” John 14:23
Continuing this Easter series of looking at what took place in the upper room with Jesus and His disciples on the night of His betrayal, we get some of the best teachings of Jesus during His earthly ministry. Up to this point in the night, we have seen Jesus wash His disciples’ feet giving them an example of how to serve. Earlier in John 14:6, Jesus gives the great proclamation, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Only a few verses later, we read, “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’” (John 14:23). A common misconception with this verse is that it is teaching that the way to love Jesus is by keeping His Word, or the commandments given to us within Scripture. In other words, many people will try to twist this verse and try to tell us that we must do the commandments in order to love Christ and have a true relationship with Him. They will use this verse to back up their works-based salvation.
However, this is not what Christ is teaching. As I stated earlier, Christ just got done teaching what the only way for salvation was through Him. There is no other way to God but through Christ. There is no other truth in this world but the one that comes from Christ. There is no other true living but the life that lives for Christ. Therefore, He is not teaching us that in order for us to love Him we must do what He has commanded. Rather, Christ is telling us that the only way to do what He has commanded, we must first love Him.
I think a good analogy for this is professional athletes. They work their tails off trying to get to the highest level. Ever since they were little kids they would stay up all night working on their craft. Doing drills over, and over, and over again until it was ingrained into their mind. Now, did they do all of this practice so that they could love their sport? Of course not! They did all of that work because they loved their sport!
The same thing goes for us as believers and followers of Christ. We do not do what Jesus has commanded us to do so that we can eventually learn to love Christ. We love Christ; therefore, we do what He has commanded us to do. In doing His commandments, you will find that you grow deeper in your love for Him. However, it is essential that your work for God first flows from a love for Him and nothing else.
Posted in Upper Room
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