"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
John 14:15
Part 2
Yesterday:
“If ye love me.”
We who claim to love Jesus Christ are dutybound by our claims.
The proof of our love is our obedience to Jesus’ Word.
Today:
“Keep.”
The literal translation of this word “keep” in our verse is, “you all will keep.”[1]
Vincent defines this Greek word “keep” as, “Lay up in your hearts and preserve by careful watching”[2] (Vincent). Take note of the two parts of this “keeping.” First, there is the treasuring up His Word in our hearts, the learning-knowing-hiding-it part. Second, we carefully watch it there, study it, guard it, keep it safe, and obey it. This is the doing part of “keeping.”
Jesus said,
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
By “keeping” His commandments, we abide, dwell, remain, in His love.
“My commandments.”
“Commandments” are to be obeyed. The one giving the command expects the obedience of the one commanded. The text can be translated literally as “the commandments which are mine”[3] (Vincent). These specific commands in the Word are given by Jesus, should not we obey every word of His? He expects our obedience.
Note what MacLaren says about verse 14 and 15.
“Our Lord has just been saying, ‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do.’ Is the parallel wholly accidental or fanciful between the Lord who does as the servant asks and the servant who is to do as the Lord commands? On both sides there is love delighting to be set in motion by a message from the other side.”[4]
Oh, the height of hypocrisy, if we expect Jesus to answer our prayer, and yet we balk at keeping His commands! Believers, if this is our attitude toward our Lord, shame on us! We need to remember that He is our Master, and we are His douloi (slaves, servants)!
“By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:2).
It is our privilege to love and obey God!
Quote: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Romans 6:17).
[1] “Keep,” this verb tērēsete is in the future tense, and it is second person plural. In the South, we say, “Y’all will keep My commandments.”
[2] M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
[3] Vincent, ibid.
[4] Alexander MacLaren. Expositions of Holy Scriptures, the electronic version in eSword.