What is the meaning of John 15:17? This is - Jesus draws a line of focus: “This is.” He is isolating one truth out of everything He has said in the Upper Room. Nothing here is optional or peripheral. - The phrase signals certainty and finality—much like in 1 John 3:23, “And this is His command: to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another.” - By stating “This is,” the Lord invites us to treat the next words as the non-negotiable center of Christian life (cf. John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”). My command - “Command” (not advice, ideal, or suggestion) speaks of Christ’s full authority (John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”). - Because He is both Savior and Lord (John 13:13), obedience is the natural expression of genuine faith (1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”). - The singular “command” echoes Deuteronomy 6:5, where love for God stands above every statute, signaling that Christian love is likewise foundational. To you - Jesus addresses His disciples personally—men who have already been “chosen and appointed” (John 15:16). - The instruction therefore lands on every believer today; we are the “you” who abide in the Vine (John 15:4-5). - Love becomes the family trait of God’s household (Ephesians 5:1-2), distinguishing us from the hostile world Jesus has just warned about (John 15:18-19). Love - The word sums up the Gospel itself: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). - Christian love is: • Sacrificial—modeled on the cross (John 3:16). • Active—expressed in deeds (1 John 3:18, “let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth”). • Enduring—“Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). - Such love flows from abiding in Christ; it cannot be manufactured (John 15:5, “apart from Me you can do nothing”). One another - The command is mutual, forming a community where each member both gives and receives love (Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love”). - “One another” directs love inward toward the body of believers, creating a testimony outward to the world (John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another”). - Practical expressions include: • Bearing burdens together (Galatians 6:2). • Forgiving as Christ forgave (Colossians 3:13). • Showing hospitality without grumbling (1 Peter 4:8-9). summary John 15:17 is the Lord’s uncomplicated yet all-encompassing directive: Because He is our authoritative Master, He issues a single binding command, aimed personally at every disciple, calling for active, sacrificial love that circles back to bless fellow believers. Obeying this command anchors us in Christ, verifies our discipleship to the watching world, and knits the church into a living display of the Gospel. |
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