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You are my friends if you do what I command you.

John 15:14 (CSB)

How will we show our obedience to our Master Jesus? Jesus is clear. We will keep his commands. There is no equivocation in this. Jesus is clear.

Having Jesus’ commands isn’t enough. We also must keep them. Again, Jesus is referring to the commands to love one another in the Christian community. He has said earlier that if you love him, you’ll in fact keep his commands, so that the emphasis fell on keeping them because of loving him.

Here the emphasis falls on keeping them as the evidence of loving him. And love for Jesus will be reciprocated by both the Father and Jesus. To that reciprocal love Jesus will add his self-manifestation. When will he make himself visible to the one who loves him? When he comes to the disciples in resurrected life. Those who unlike the original disciples believe without seeing the risen Jesus will suffer no disadvantage, though; for he’ll pronounce a special blessing on them.[1]

  • John 14:21 (CSB) — 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 (CSB) — 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.
  • John 15:14 (CSB) — 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
  • 1 John 5:2–3 (CSB) — 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. And his commands are not a burden,
  • Revelation 12:17 (CSB) — 17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.

[1] Gundry, R. H. (2010). Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (p. 431). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.