Abide in Christ’s Love and Love One Another: A Call to Friendship and Obedience
John 15:9–17 (NKJV)
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
The Relationship of Believers to Each Other
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
Message
I. Abide In My Love (9-11)
See v9.
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
In John 15:5, 7, Jesus asks His disciples to abide in Him. Today, Jesus asks His disciples to abide in His love (9c). And He teaches how. See v10.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
Jesus loves us (9b). We can remain in His love by keeping His commandments (10a). See v11.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
When we keep His commandments, He will be pleased with our obedience and take delight in us with gladness. When Jesus loves us and rejoice over us, our joy will be full.
II. Love One Another (12-17)
See v12.
12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus gives His disciples His commandment that they love one another as He has loved them. Here, we note that His disciples should follow the model of His love (12b) when they love one another. See v13.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Jesus says there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends. This is what Jesus did for us. Therefore, loving one another in v12 includes such a sacrificial love Jesus shows them. See v14-15.
14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Jesus considers His disciples His friends if they do whatever He commands them. What He commands is from the Father (15, John 12:49-50, John 14:24). When Jesus shares the divine revelations including His commandment to love one another, we should know that
- His word including His commandment is from His Father. When they obey His command, they obey not only Jesus but also His Father.
- He is treating them not as servants who don’t know what their master is doing but as His friends.
See v16.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.
Jesus chose us and appointed us to bear lasting fruit so that the Father may give us whatever we ask Him in Jesus’ name (16) and commands us to love one another (17). Therefore, Jesus is our master.
However, we are not asked to obey blindly as slaves (15a). Instead, He reveals to us the divine will and heavenly plan of God. Therefore, we obey Him as His friends who know what our master is doing (15b).
