v.15 - “If you love me, you will obey my commandments."
On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus makes this, now famous, statement. He is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through him. This is essentially the cornerstone statement Peter and John make in their trial before the priests when they say (Acts 4:11-12) Specifically it is said in v. 12, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.” The practical implication of these verses is no other belief/faith system i.e. Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. in which one can be saved. Jesus' way is truth that leads to life. If Jesus is the embodiment of truth and life, then there is no other way to know truth and life except through him. This does not necessarily exclude all truth found outside the Bible, nor does it exclude those people who do not know Jesus to not have the ability to discover truth claims outside the Bible. "How is this possible?" one might ask. The truth being spoken of in John 14 Constable explains, "Jesus is the way to God because He is the truth from God and the life from God. He is the truth because He embodies God’s supreme revelation (1:18; 5:19; 8:29), and He is the life because He contains and imparts divine life (1:4; 5:26; 11:25; cf. 1 John 5:20)." This Truth is the gospel and not some truth like that of gum losing its flavor (even Stride) when and if chewed long enough. However, outside the absolutes of the Bible, truth in the world seems to have many gray areas even the one I mentioned above. For example, a company could come out with a gum that will never lose flavor, or perhaps there are people whose taste buds are far better at tasting and their gum never loses taste at least in their judgment of the matter.
Another implication of v. 6 is the assured animosity of such a claim when made to those who do not believe Jesus' and Christians' declaration of it. The depth at which people have gone to dismiss Jesus' declaration is evident in Lee Strobel's Case books, at least on an intellectual level. On an emotional level, to some, this declaration reeks of unfairness, arrogance and naivete. These responses require great care on the part of Christians on how they relay such a message of good news. The corner preacher may reach a few because if one casts a large enough net, one is bound to catch something. But how effective is this? One may point to Billy Graham and his crusades. He cast a wide net and caught many! Billy Graham was no corner preacher. His efforts from beginning to end built on each other, making his popularity rise. Not only this, even the reluctant people who came wanted to be there to listen him. Whether they believed what he said or not is irrelevant. The saddest part is we, as Christians, cannot rely on the Billy Grahams of the world, we cannot rely on the religious tract handout, and the bluntness of our message alone. Jesus always, ALWAYS, had context when he spoke.
He always reached his audience because he shared truth in ways that his audience would understand. Even his parables and other enigmatic responses were and are understandable. So what am I saying for today? The GOSPEL REQUIRES CONTEXT. Every time we talk about the good news, we must understand who we are talking to and help them understand the Way, Truth and Life in a context that makes sense. Whether that context is emotional or intellectual. Do not get wrong. The gospel is universal and its truth is immovable but that message needs to be communicated effectively. This also includes the times we aren't talking but the actions we take in this life. A Christian can say they love Jesus and love their neighbors and nothing they do comes even close to proving what they have said (cf. Matt 25:31-46). What it is that we do will have to be for a later post because, in my opinion, Christianity has lost sight of what doing Christianity is to the extent that many Christians have left their churches because of the rampant legalism.
However, what about v. 15? That says if Christians love Jesus, they will obey his commandments. What are Jesus' commandments is the first thing we must define. Jesus is direct and to the point in Matt 22:37-40. All the law and the prophets depend on the two greatest commandments. What is the connection between John 14:15 and Matt 22:37-40? We love God by loving Him? That smacks of the obvious! Maybe a little too obvious? Constable writes:
The conditional sentence in the Greek text is “third
class,” which assumes neither a positive nor a negative response. Love
for Jesus will motivate the believer to obey Him (cf. vv. 21, 23; 15:14; 1 John 5:3). In the context Jesus’ commands are His total revelation viewed as components, not just His ethical injunctions (cf. 3:31-32; 12:47-49; 13:34-35; 17:6).
The greatness of our love for God is easy to test. It corresponds exactly to our conformity to all that He has revealed.
This requires a lifetime of learning who God is with every part of our being. Loving God is more than just following propped up rules for the rules sake. Rules do not create intimacy in a relationship. Getting (and wanting) to know someone to their fullest (inside and out to use a classic idiom) brings intimacy. That is why there are three distinctions of heart, soul and mind in loving God. True, these three envelop the entire being and usually all three are involved in every aspect of life, but each creates distinct avenues in which to love God. And we are commanded to do nothing less. In light of Matt 25:31-46, it would seem that loving our neighbors also shows love for God. It also shows how much we know about God, which correlates directly with the first greatest command. The two greatest commandments require effort but not just for efforts sake. Out of love for the life Jesus has given, through faith, we obey him in the greatest commandments. Of course, debate will dredge on about the practical implications of what it is we do in loving God and neighbors. Perhaps that will be another post.
The practical implications of these verses shoot me through the heart and soul. How much of me, if any, lives these implications? Have I studied God's revelation to us in His Word to know Him intimately? In my estimation the answer is emphatically no. I have never read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I started to last year and distractions took me away. I got all the way to Isaiah and didn't finish. That's further than I have ever got. Most times I have quit at Leviticus or Deuteronomy. Improvement is paramount! However, not finishing is embarrassing and shameful. God took the time to reveal himself to us in the preserved books of Sacred Writ. Taking time every day to learn about Him is the LEAST I could do. Do my life and words love Him? Again, not even close. In my time as a Christian, I have hurt people, disdained people, hated people, mistreated people, ignored people and all in all been selfish and self-centered. I do not often attend church because of the affinity to see only the flaws of the church. And instead of using the talents God has afforded me and the knowledge He has taught me in school and life to affect positive change in the church, I have shrunk to the shadows to be a naysayer and a Polly Pissy Pants. How pitiful and pathetic of me! Not that I think church is everything in a Christian's life but the community is important. Increasingly I am becoming more and more aware of how far short of God's expectations of me do I fall. In the 14 years since I started to get to know God, I have learned a lot but my actions only sometimes show the love He has showed and given me. Pornography was a problem when I started my relationship with God, found freedom, but there are days I am tempted still. It is pointless to list all my sins here. I have tested the limits of God's grace and found there is no limit. However, I have learned the hard way the negative effects my sins cause. I am nowhere near figuring out how this relationship with God and how life works. The proof is in the doing. Faith is an action. Love is an action. Intimacy in an action. I am thankful for God's continuous grace and love, his endless patience with my stubbornness, and His Spirit who always seems to keep bringing me back when I get off track.
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