It’s easy to read the Bible at such a surface level that we never grasp what it’s saying. Most of us are aware of a verse like John 14:15, which says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands” (see also 1 John 5:3a). We say we love Him, which means we obey His commands. But what are those commands? Do you know what it is you should do to confirm your love for Him?
If we read this verse like we’re reading a novel, we’ll never grasp how the Word of God applies to the way we live. We must do the deeper work of studying God’s Word so we understand what it means. What are the commands we must keep so we might show our love for Him?
A simple answer would be, “He must be talking about the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20:1-17). You will never go wrong adhering to those, but as we dig deeper into the whole of God’s Word, we will see there is more at play here. First, we must acknowledge that no one could ever keep all the commandments all the time (Romans 3:23; James 2:10). Even if you think you might, Jesus upped the ante when He elaborated on what it means to not kill or commit adultery.
He said if we are angry with our brother, insult them, or think ourselves above them, we are guilty of violating the command to not murder (Matthew 5:20-26). As for the command forbidding committing adultery, Jesus explained that if we even lust after someone, then we are as guilty as if we had committed the physical act with them (Matthew 5:27-30). No one can keep the letter of the law when we understand the full implications of those commands. Even trying to keep the Ten Commandments is impossibly difficult, which contradicts Jesus’s teaching that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
For these reasons, keeping the Ten Commandments can’t be what Jesus had in mind when stipulating that if we love Him, we will obey His commands. When asked what is the greatest of all the commandments, Jesus’s answer was not explicitly one of the famous ten. He said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and that the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. He completed His answer by saying that all the commandments hung on these two (Matthew 22:36-40).
John provides further clarification that the commands proving our love for God are to believe in the name of Jesus (1 John 3:23a) and to love one another (1 John 3:23b; 1 John 4:21; 1 John 5:2-4). So, if we say we love God, the proof of that love will be our belief in Jesus His Son, and to love everyone like we love ourselves. These commands are not difficult to keep, but neither come naturally. Believing in Jesus demands we surrender everything to Him (Luke 9:23-24; Philippians 3:8), and loving our brothers and sisters requires humble submission to the needs of others over our own (Philippians 2:3-4). Simple, but not easy, proofs of our love for the Father. Armed with this knowledge, can we say that we love Him? Are we willing to obey His commands?