(Text Only)
Title: There Are No Optional Commands
In the Gospel of John 14:15, John records Jesus saying something very simple, and yet also very profound: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Now, I don’t see any evidence, either in the Gospel of John, or in any of John’s other books in scripture, or in any part of Scripture, for that matter, that even remotely suggests that we are free to pick and choose which of the commands we follow, and which of the commands we ignore.
In other words, when Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” I think it’s very safe to assume he means all of them, right?
Well, sadly today we are going to talk about a commandment that is clear as day in terms of it’s meaning, but we make it really muddy in terms of its application. Far too many Christians struggle with the passage we are about to read.
What I hope to do in the time we have to today is talk about the correct context to understand this passage, by looking at a couple other verses in I John that will “frame” today’s passage.
Secondly, I want to look at ways this commandment is often ignored or even minimized in the Christian community.
Finally, I want to look at the reasons why this particular commandment must absolutely be observed by anyone who is serious about their faith.
(read/pray)
- The Correct Framework
This passage would certainly be understandable on it’s own. The theology is not complex, but it is a difficult teaching. Rather than look at this passage in a vacuum, I’d like for us to consider what we just read with the following two verses that we looked at earlier in 1st John:
John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments. (Jesus)
I John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
I John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
When looking at these two verses, I think it’s safe to assume the following:
- Jesus says keeping His commandments is how we demonstrate our love for Him. (We can’t love him without keeping His commandments).
- John says we can’t know Christ apart from keeping His commandments. (There is no “knowing God” apart from Scripture)
- John says the love of God is not in the person that doesn’t help a brother in need. (We MUST help a brother in need if we REALLY love God…there is no “choice” when you make yourself a slave to righteousness.)
With those three ideas in mind, here’s where we can go: John tells us in today’s passage that the believer who says “I love God” but hates his brother is a liar. These two things can not co-exist. Why is he a liar? It’s not because he hates his brother, it’s because he’s not keeping God’s commandments. How can he know God, let alone love God if he won’t keeps His commandments?
- How is this commandment ignored?
We’ve established this in past sermons in I John, but as a refresher, let me note a couple things for us as we begin to answer this question:
- John is writing to a group of Christians he knows personally and loves dearly.
- The use of “brother” strongly suggests that this context indicates the commandment is to take care of others in the fellowship (the Church). I John 3:17 supports this idea.
*NOTE: I’m not saying that we are not commanded to also love “our enemies” that is absolutely another commandment, but that’s not what John is referring to here.
Ways this command is ignored in the Christian Community today:
- Theological divisions become so deep we slander other professing believers.
- We tend to “qualify” other believers as being “like-minded” before we will decide whether or not to help them.
- We roll our eyes (have bad attitudes) at believers who sing a different way, conduct worship in a different way, or meet in an non-traditional setting like a home church, bean bag chair church, or coffee house church.
Others?
- Why MUST this command be observed?
- John alludes to this: If we can’t love what is seen and touched right in front of us, how can we love an “unseen” non-physical God? (The suggestion from John is that it should be more challenging to love a God that we can’t just openly dialogue and “get to know” the same way we can another human.)
Matthew Henry: The eye is wont to affect the heart; things unseen less catch the mind, and thereby the heart. The incomprehensibleness of God very much arises from his invisibility; the member of Christ has much of God visible in him. How then shall the hater of a visible image of God pretend to love the unseen original, the invisible God himself?
- Contextual: The fellowship of the local church must be unified to withstand the enemy. John is writing to a church in the infancy of its development. Christianity, as a religion is roughly 1979 years old. This was written around year 60 of Christianity. At the time, there were not denominations (although we already see factions springing up over which “pastors” the people preferred ex: Paul vs. Apollos in I Cor.) There was one local church per city, so the idea of local church unity was a bit simpler than it is now. Regardless, the concept is the same: We must love other professing believers in Christ to create a stronghold to bind the enemy from our communities.
3. It simply isn’t optional. There are commandments that are simply hard to follow. Loving your neighbor as yourself is easy, if you have great neighbors. If you don’t, trust me, that can be a test of your faith and obedience. Loving other believers has pitfalls as well, but those pitfalls simply do not grant me, or you, or anyone license to ignore, or even minimize this commandment. What are you going to say to God at judgment, “I sort of made an effort to really love my brothers.” His response: “I sort of made an effort to love you.” Yikes.