What does John 15:14 mean?

During this discussion, Jesus has emphasized the connection between a person's obedience to His teachings and the legitimacy of their relationship to Him (John 15:1–6). His point is not that every sin is hard proof of disbelief (1 John 1:9–10), nor that one must somehow earn salvation through good deeds (Titus 3:5). Rather, Jesus makes a relatively common-sense point: those who truly love and honor Him will naturally, and normally, seek to follow His teachings.

Among the commands Jesus has emphasized in this conversation is the importance of "love." This concept is reiterated several times within a short set of verses (John 13:34; 15:12, 17). The main application of this is practical. Christians are obligated to live out love with a Christlike character. This means humility (John 13:16), service (John 13:14), and sacrifice (John 15:12).

The reference to believers as "friends" is important. Abraham, called a "friend of God" (James 2:23), is an Old Testament example of how God's communication indicates a form of friendship in addition to obedience (Genesis 18:17).