Chapter 3
Obedience & Love
When Jesus talks about keeping the commandments he is referring to the ones he gives through the Bible and prayer, this includes the original ten (the moral law) which can be summed up into one command: love God and everyone else. John chapter 14 (CEV) says:
Jesus said to his disciples: If you love me, you will do as I command (v.15). If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like (v. 21).
Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn’t love me, won’t obey me. What they have heard me say doesn’t really come from me, but from the Father who sent me (v. 23-24).
When we obey Jesus, we show him that we love him, therefore our Faith in Jesus leads to our love for Jesus. Jesus was very clear about this. But so many Christians profess to love Jesus but don’t obey his commands. There is nothing wrong with singing, dancing and “getting emotional” about Jesus, but obedience to his commandments is his criteria for love. We must stop loving Jesus our way and love him his way. If he tells us to do something, let’s do it.
The Commandment of Love
36 “Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 38 This is the first and most important commandment. 39 The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, “Love others as much as you love yourself.” (Matthew22:36-39 CEV)
Jesus replied: If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. But anyone who doesn’t love me, won’t obey me. What they have heard me say doesn’t really come from me, but from the Father who sent me (John 14:23-24 CEV).
10 If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him. 11 I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. 12 Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you (John 15:10-12 CEV).
The above passages expound on obedience. We show obedience by loving God and everyone else. Obedience and love are almost synonymous in relation to God. Another point to be made here is: God’s love is based on the condition of our obedience to him: “Then my Father will love them” (John 14:23 CEV) and “If you obey me, I will keep loving you… I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am.” (John 15:10-11 CEV).
“Then” and “if” are conditions, therefore God’s love may not be unconditional as mainstream teachers would have you believe. I know that’s a big shocker to some people, but what did the passages say? Look them up in other translations, read them in full context; these passages will say the same thing. But aside from God’s seemingly conditional love, the focus should be: knowing what will make us completely happy (as Jesus is) and that is: obedience.
So, when we obey Jesus, we’re are showing our Faith in him and he is pleased and this brings happiness to all of us. The remaining question is: are we obeying his commandments? And if we are not obeying the commandments; do we really love Jesus? Or, is he really our Lord? Jesus said:
Why do you keep on saying that I am your Lord, when you refuse to do what I say? (Luke 6:46 CEV)
