“If you love Me, keep My commandments” - what John 14:15 means

God says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15. In other words, if you love Jesus, you will obey Him. God’s will is in His word, His commandments. In the new covenant, God writes His commandments in my heart, and, for the most part, these commandments have to do with my inner life, not my outward circumstances. In this way, whether I am married or single, no matter where I work or live; obeying God’s commandments out of love for Him is the most important thing.

Does John 14:15 mean “if you love Me, obey My commandments”?

Yes. In this verse, “keep” means to hold on to and obey. Jesus is not asking for a feeling alone; real love for Him shows itself in obedience, which the Bible calls the obedience to the faith. If you love Jesus, you will obey Him, and in the verses that follow, He promises to send the Holy Spirit to help us (John 14:16-17).

If ye love me, keep my commandments - John 14:15 in the KJV

The King James Version (KJV) of John 14:15 reads, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Whether you read “If you love Me, keep My commandments” in the New King James Version or “If ye love me, keep my commandments” in the KJV, the message is the same: love for Jesus is shown by obeying Him.

Obeying God’s commandments in everyday life

Everyone has different abilities, which place him or her in different occupations and different walks of life, but whatever my situation, I am faced with my own will that goes against God’s word. God is looking for people who love Him enough to obey Him instead of doing their own will. Naturally, it is easy to be so concerned with what I am physically doing that I forget to obey God’s commandments.  For example, God commands me to put away “all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking…” Ephesians 4:31.  If, whether I am doing road-construction, flipping burgers, or providing life support for a gravely ill person, I get angry with my co-worker in the middle of it, I have come outside of God’s will.

God’s will is that I become free from my human nature, my own will, and to follow the commandments He writes in my heart. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…” Ephesians 4:32.  It isn’t my natural tendency, but God has commanded me to live like this—God’s will for me is a life where sin has no power over me!

If you love Me, then keep My commandments: what does Jesus promise?

Jesus does not ask for obedience without giving something in return. He says, “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.” John 14:23. And John adds, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3. If obeying feels impossible in your own strength, read how Jesus is a Master in helping those who want to overcome sin.

It is impossible to do God’s will in my own strength, but when my whole heart’s desire is to obey His voice instead of my own, He is there, and He gives me power to carry out His will!

Keep obeying Jesus out of love

Obeying Jesus out of love is a daily walk, not a single decision. To learn more about how God frees us from the power of sin and leads us into a holy life, you can read what sanctification means and why it is important. For more encouragement on obeying Jesus’ commandments from the heart, Hidden Treasures, a Christian magazine on following Jesus, has an article on a life lived before God’s face.