John 14:15

[ByTheSpirit]

Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commands."

 

What are these commands he speaks of?

 

Jesus seems to indicate in this passage our receiving the Holy Spirit is dependent upon our keeping his commands (v16).

 

I have always been taught we need the Holy Spirit to keep Gods commands, yet Jesus says you have to keep commands to get the Holy Spirit, as does Peter in Acts 5:32.  So what commands can we keep apart from having the Holy Spirit?

Edited August 26, 2017 by ByTheSpirit
Further explanation

[Your closest friendnt]

Hello by the Spirit, 

This is a very good question. 

When JESUS said this to his disciples it was said on a personal basis, he was not referring to collective commands, if he was he would have list the commandments, so each one of them will guard himself and the others. 

JESUS said my commands as he will give to each one of them. 

He did not say commandments, as in the ten commandments, which are not his anyway, or the commandments to love one another, that too, I don't say no, but here he was referring the commands he will give to each and everyone of them as their Lord in action to complete his mission. 

Just like the Captain gives commands to his men. 

JESUS said that referring to the commands he will give them on a personal basis as they go along in their walk with him, he will tell them what he requires from them to do, and where he wants them to go, and what to say. 

One example is when the Lord, or the Holy Spirit asked the disciples to go back to the Temple and to continue to talk about him,, after they were told by the Priests not to go there, and not to talk about Jesus. 

Another time when Philip went on a mission by the Lord in the dessert, without anyone knowing. 

Paul decided to go to Philipy on a command by the Lord, and not to go to the mission the church was sent him, in the other churches. 

One of the most memorable one when he sent Peter to Kornilius family. After persuading Peter to obey him, he said to him that when the time comes I will tell you what to say to them

That's how I see it as personal commandms to do his will as he ask us to do. 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Your closest friendnt

[Fred Eans]

The whole Bible basically falls under the two commandments he gave to those trying to trick him; asking him what was the greatest commandment of the ten.  Jesus gave two, which covers all ten.  To love God with...; and to love your neighbor as....  The first covers the first five commandments, the second covers the second five.  If you do these then choosing God over Satan, is a piece of cake.

[Sister]

1 hour ago, ByTheSpirit said:

Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commands."

 

What are these commands he speaks of?

 Matthew 4:4   But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

[Wayne222]

He said love one another as I loved you. This is his commandment. 

[Your closest friendnt]

10 minutes ago, Wayne222 said:

He said love one another as I loved you. This is his commandment. 

I understand about this commandment and others. 

JESUS also gave special commands to each one of them on a personal basis. 

To Peter after the resurrection he said, if you love me "feed my sheep", this command had nothing to do with anyother previous collective general commands.

This command had a very special meaning to JESUS, who had said, your name is Peter and upon this rock I will build my church. 

Peter may be wontdering what Jesus meant, but he later understood.

on the day of the Penticost the Lord gave to Peter a lot of feed for his sheep, and on the day when he went to Kornilius family, JESUS gave him a special feed to him to feed not only the Gentiles, but also the other disciples. 

[Neighbor]

7 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Hello by the Spirit, 

This is a very good question. 

When JESUS said this to his disciples it was said on a personal basis, he was not referring to collective commands, if he was he would have list the commandments, so each one of them will guard himself and the others. 

JESUS said my commands as he will give to each one of them. 

He did not say commandments, as in the ten commandments, which are not his anyway, or the commandments to love one another, that too, I don't say no, but here he was referring the commands he will give to each and everyone of them as their Lord in action to complete his mission. 

Just like the Captain gives commands to his men. 

JESUS said that referring to the commands he will give them on a personal basis as they go along in their walk with him, he will tell them what he requires from them to do, and where he wants them to go, and what to say. 

One example is when the Lord, or the Holy Spirit asked the disciples to go back to the Temple and to continue to talk about him,, after they were told by the Priests not to go there, and not to talk about Jesus. 

Another time when Philip went on a mission by the Lord in the dessert, without anyone knowing. 

Paul decided to go to Philipy on a command by the Lord, and not to go to the mission the church was sent him, in the other churches. 

One of the most memorable one when he sent Peter to Kornilius family. After persuading Peter to obey him, he said to him that when the time comes I will tell you what to say to them

That's how I see it as personal commandms to do his will as he ask us to do. 

 

Hi,  An apostle may  say respond only to me and it is enough for me, but Jesus does not do that. He shares the reveal of what is coming, to all, that is the coming of the Holy Spirit as teacher while Jesus is away,and not seen by this world. The fuller context of at least the entirety of John 14 uses plurals in response even when addressing an individual's question.  Jesus' responses  are not for the immediate audience only, but instead are for anyone that loves Him.  Anyone that asks will receive the Holy Spirit in him and the Spirit will teach him.

His enlightenments are not things to be hidden nor are they intended only for one apostle or two. Least that is the way I see it within John 14,which seems to me to be consistent with  the entirety of the reveal of Jesus from Genesis through Revelation. The saints  in Christ Jesus are to  proclaim Him

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

 

Also:

 

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

 

 

So:

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus  please come soon.  Join with all the saints, proclaiming Him Lord of Lords and King of kings. That is the command, born of love from God for His creation, which when followed pleases God.

[ByTheSpirit]

Good responses thus far.  Something that has always intrigued me is the next verse in the passage, v16 in which Jesus seems to indicate if we love him and keep his commands in v15, then he will give the Holy Spirit.  The giving of the Spirit seems to be dependent upon our keeping these "commands".  

 

So that begs the question again, what commands can we keep apart from the Holy Spirit being given?

 

I have always been taught we need the Holy Spirit to keep Gods commands, yet Jesus says you have to keep commands to get the Holy Spirit, as Peter does too in Acts 5:32.

 

My view is this:  the commands Jesus speaks of are to 1) Believe & 2) Love.

 

Even heathens are capable of "love" so that is not dependent upon the Holy Spirit and believing is necessary to receive new life.  These are the two main teachings of John's gospel, believing and loving.  So in essence Jesus was saying to me: if you love me, believe in me and love one another then I will give you the Holy Spirit, again and again.

[Your closest friendnt]

3 hours ago, ByTheSpirit said:

Good responses thus far.  Something that has always intrigued me is the next verse in the passage, v16 in which Jesus seems to indicate if we love him and keep his commands in v15, then he will give the Holy Spirit.  The giving of the Spirit seems to be dependent upon our keeping these "commands".  

 

So that begs the question again, what commands can we keep apart from the Holy Spirit being given?

 

I have always been taught we need the Holy Spirit to keep Gods commands, yet Jesus says you have to keep commands to get the Holy Spirit, as Peter does too in Acts 5:32.

 

My view is this:  the commands Jesus speaks of are to 1) Believe & 2) Love.

 

Even heathens are capable of "love" so that is not dependent upon the Holy Spirit and believing is necessary to receive new life.  These are the two main teachings of John's gospel, believing and loving.  So in essence Jesus was saying to me: if you love me, believe in me and love one another then I will give you the Holy Spirit, again and again.

Are you suggesting that when JESUS asked Paul, love me by keeping my command to go to Philipy to where I want to send you to the Macedonian Man. 

Are you suggesting that Paul should have said: 

No I have plans and my plans are good and they are also the plans of the congregation who sent me on a mission to plant a church, in some part in Minor Asia, and visit and strengthen the other churches, who are waiting for me. 

That's how I and the leaders of the church in Antioch we have proposed to love you and obey your command to declare the Gospel. 

In this example we can see that Paul, (the same as Peter did, when he received the command to go to Cornilious Family, 

The disciples in both examples, could use scripture to justify a disobedience to Jesus and go on to obey his general commandment by disobey his specific commandment to them, the very specific commandment to them from Jesus Christ. 

JESUS CHRIST was asking them to love him by obeying him in what he was asking them, that very specific time, in that very specific situation. 

He didn't forbidden them from having their own ways of loving him and doing good and where and to whom to  the Gospel.

But this time he said: "Put your own plans on the side", and come and follow me, to the place I want to go, and to the people I want to reach, or bless, or Saved. 

So Peter follow Jesus Christ to Cornilious Family. And then he took Peter from Jerusalem and gave him to the Gentiles. 

Philip follow JESUS CHRIST to the dessert, and then to the villages of Samaria. 

Without offence JESUS CHRIST took them away from the ministry and service to their churches, and  he started leading them himself, to do his specific will, that's why both of them said: 

I AM AN APOSTLE Of Jesus Christ. 

I don't want to go on and on with more examples, I only wanted to distinguish the difference to the special calling to the special commans of JESUS CHRIST. 

This is what had happened to them. 

John 14:23, if you love me and obey my commans, "me and my Father will come and make are abode in you", 

That's where they were in their walk with Jesus. 

What is the say: "me and my Father will come and make are abode in you", 

What is the propose , JESUS CHRIST was homeless, and he needed a place to call his abode? 

NO this is not why, JESUS CHRIST propose to guide them from within.

Jesus was going to ascent in Heaven, and he was telling them, that he will send the Holy Spirit, but here he was telling them, that he will also himself will guide them from within, and he was cautioning them to walk with him, and follow him, even if they have

(don't misanderdant me, but it happened to them).

to leave their churches to follow him.

In the same way he was guided himself from the Father from within hearing his word, who send him on missions, during his ministry here on Earth, by the word of the Father from within. 

This time the disciples will be guided by JESUS word from within. And for other reasons as Paul said: " the spirit of the Lord within me is joyous, (in this time of my troubles, in Philipy), I am perplex, and dismay, but I feel the spirit of the Lord very joyous within me, the joy of the Lord is my strength. 

The disciples did not teach the people old staff. 

In the old it was, do not give Moses to no one. 

In the new it is, give JESUS CHRIST to everyone. 

The disciples risk to disobey JESUS CHRIST, by giving all their loyalty to their obligations to the local church. And remain faithful to their first place. 

The time came when the Lord told them "leave them and follow me", but those were very special people with a very special calling from JESUS CHRIST. And they didn't call themselves, Jesus Christ is the one who called them, at the beginning and later on during their active ministry.

Careful now don't misanderdood me, I didn't not say to take it up to your selfs, this is not my business, 

I said they were sure and not mistaken what Jesus was asking them to do. 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Your closest friendnt