John 15:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You are my friends if you do what I command you.

NIV: You are my friends if you do what I command.

NASB: You are My friends if you do what I command you.

CSB: You are my friends if you do what I command you.

NLT: You are my friends if you do what I command.

KJV: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

NKJV: You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

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).

John 15:12–17 builds on Christ's explanation of the vine and branches. Once again, Jesus commands His followers to demonstrate love toward each other. This is phrased, in no uncertain terms, as an obligation given directly by Christ. Jesus once again ties willingness to obey to the legitimacy of one's love for Him. This contrasts with the hatred shown by the unbelieving world, which He discusses in the following passage.

This passage begins with a celebrated analogy from Christ: the vine and the branches. This includes the seventh and final "I Am" statement of the gospel of John. Jesus uses this metaphor to explain how our spiritual life, as born-again believers, is drawn from His life. God's intent for our lives is to progress from barrenness to fruitfulness, to spiritual abundance. Jesus also repeats His command for believers to love each other. In this context, He goes so far as to refer to those who follow His teachings as His "friends."

Jesus is in the middle of a long discourse given to the disciples, which began during the last supper. He presents the analogy of a vine and branches, then repeats His command for believers to love each other. Jesus also warns about how the unbelieving world will hate and persecute Christians. This leads into the teachings of chapter 16, which focus on perseverance in the face of trials.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/6/2024 12:47:57 PM