If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments
This is a simple statement from Christ. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Jesus sets up this relationship between love and obedience, where obedience produces love and love suggests obedience and supplies it with motive and purpose. This was not an question of doubt on His part, Christ knew his disciples (who He was speaking to) loved him, but he uses that distinction of love, as an argument of identification.
It's not a statement aimed solely at his disciples, but aimed at any and all who would, had or will ever love him. It's aimed at all who are born again, who have had sight of him, whether physical or spiritual. It's aimed at those who believe in him and have received him, and most of all those whom belong to him.
Christ is identifying this group, and then gives them a command.
And remember that Chris is the bridegroom of the church. He is the Creator. He is God, and He is construed as the husband to the church. It is his right to issues us commands. It is his right to ask us to heed what he asks of us.
But He goes further than this. In just the next verse, he promises us that He will send the Holy Spirit to help and comfort us, to always be there with us. This is the great promise of our obedience, for He does not forsake us and He will not leave us.
But what would these commandments be? What are we to keep and obey?
While He did speak a number of commands throughout the four gospels, and those commands are clearly, and plainly spoken, there is a danger in this. People see the simplicity of these commands, and think that that's the end-all and be-all of the path. They compare these words to Confucius or the Buddha and find similarities, and think that any peaceful path is enough.
But the ultimately command of Christ, is to be Christ-like.
The point of the New Testament is not "Follow Step 1, Step 2 and Step 3." If that had been the case, if that was what Christ was offering, we could have just as easily remained under the Law. No, the point is to copy Christ; to emulate Him.
The point is to attempt to become as much like Him as possible. And we do this by prayer and praise, and learning. We do this by asking for patience and love and joy.
And as we emulate Christ, as we model our lives and outlooks and responses on His, we fall into a pattern of loving God and others. We fall into patterns of peace and joy. As we do this, we learn and know that his commandments give us a fulfilling and joy filled life. As we love him, we want to follow this, we want to be more Christ like; to know him more and to have a closer relationship with him.
And we then go and re-read that verse, and realize that it's not so much a command. It's not Christ saying this must be done if you love me. He's saying that loving me changes everything. It remodels our life and outlook such that when we do love Him, we keep his commandments, and we realize that this verse is not a rule or an edict handed down from on high.
It's an assurance.
Journal Prompt: List 3 things you can change to make your life more Christlike.
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