IF ANYONE LOVES ME, HE WILL KEEP MY COMMANDEMENTS

 

IF ANYONE LOVES ME, HE WILL KEEP MY WORD

22Judas (not Iscariot) said to him,

“Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23Jesus answered him,

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.

And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

JOHN 14:22-24

COMMENTARY

While promising the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17), our Lord Jesus Christ said that even though the world will not see Him anymore, He would not leave his Church alone, but that He will come again to live inside each of his true followers.

To this, Judas Thaddeus asked the Lord to explain how, if He was going away, could they see Him still while nobody else would.

Lord Jesus explained that through the Holy Spirit, Him and the Father will come to live inside each true believer in Him (John 14:23) that is, inside those who live according to his teachings (John 14:15; 23-24).

This way, Jesus made clear the divine supernatural existence of the Holy Trinity. An equally divine nature among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, since only GOD can reside fully inside every human being that believes in Him, in millions of people simultaneously, and at the same time be in Heaven.

Lord Jesus also made clear the importance of saintly conduct in the lives of true disciples of Christ.

Those who truly have faith and submission to Jesus, through their love for Him, will live according to his teachings, and should be considered the only true Christians, the only true disciples of the Lord. They will be loved by God for their faithfulness, and God, meaning, the Father YHWH, the Son, Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, will come to live inside those.

But Jesus also contrasted the bad position of those who live in sin, even after prophesying faith and love for Him. Their sinful lives are a testimony of the lack of love for their Saviour; with a total disregard for the suffering of Jesus on the cross, and should be therefore, considered false Christians. Not truly disciples of our Lord, and still in need of conversion.

Omar Flores.