| Christian Life and Doctrine | February 1952 |
“If Ye Love Me”
“If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” —John 14:23
HUNDREDS of books have been written, and thousands of sermons preached, emphasizing the importance of the Christian’s personal love for Jesus; yet, strange as it may seem, so far as the historical records of his life are concerned, Jesus himself said very little on this subject. Matthew reports Jesus as saying that those who love their own people more than they love him are not worthy of him (Matt. 10:37); and John, the disciple of love, quotes Jesus on this point only a few times. In our text, as well as in other statements of Jesus, we find the Master stressing the thought that love for him would be reflected in obedience to his teachings, and by faithfulness in serving—even at the cost of life itself—those whom he loved and looked upon as his sheep.
Only once does the Apostle Paul make a direct reference to the importance of our love for Christ. This is in I Corinthians 16:22, which reads, “If any man love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” It would be difficult to place greater stress than this upon the importance of our loving Christ. In view of such a strong statement as this, one might well wonder why no other direct reference is made to the subject in all of Paul’s writings.
The Apostle Peter likewise makes only one direct reference to the thought of loving Christ. He wrote concerning him, “Whom having not seen, ye love; u i whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Pet. 1:8) Peter addresses this remark to the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” (vs. 2) Seemingly he takes for granted that those who are thus called, and who are endeavoring as best they can to fulfill the conditions of the call, do love Christ, although they may not have seen him.
The Apostle John refers several times to our love for God, and emphasizes that those who possess such love will manifest it by loving their brethren; which is a similar viewpoint as that expressed by Jesus when he said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) This would indicate that John the apostle of love, caught the essence of Jesus’ teachings on the subject, which is that our personal love for the Master and for our Heavenly Father is not measured by how much we talk about it, nor by emotional feelings, but by the manner in which we obey their commandments and rejoice in the divine plan of salvation.
The small number of direct scriptural references to the subject of loving Christ may seem strange, in view of the great stress which has been laid upon this thought by church writers of various denominations, particularly Catholic writers. The great apostasy from the faith of the true Gospel which began to set in shortly after the death of the apostles, corrupting the teachings of the Bible, affected more than merely those great truths pertaining to the fall of man, the “wages of sin,” the kingdom hope of restitution, and other doctrines of the divine plan, for in many ways the truths of the Word pertaining to the devotional life of Christ’s followers also became distorted.
The monastic life is an appropriate example of this. Those entering this secluded life of separation from friends and living lives of extreme austerity, of necessity develop an extreme sense of loneliness. In this condition of mind, they think of Jesus as being their great friend, and even a lover. Naturally, under the circumstances, they sense a deep emotional love for him, and feel sure that he is very near to them. But is there anything in the Bible to justify a viewpoint and practice of this nature? We think not. The apostles wrote nothing along this line; and what Jesus himself said on the subject certainly shows that true love for him will be manifested in quite a different way.
Henceforth No More
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, … henceforth know we him [so] no more.” (II Cor. 5:16) This text indicates that there were many in the Early Church who had been personally acquainted with Jesus while he was in the flesh. For these, the memory of their acquaintance and contact with him must have been sweet indeed. Even so, Paul was pointing out to them that their true relationship with the Master was one which transcended their memory of him in the flesh. Such a treasured memory, held by those who enjoyed a measure of personal fellowship with Jesus, would naturally lead to a very strong attachment to him, but might not necessarily inspire obedience to his commands and loyalty to his doctrines.
Besides, only a very few of the entire church were blessed with that privilege—perhaps not many more than the five hundred brethren mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians 15:6. The love of the remainder for Christ must of necessity be based upon his teachings, and upon the knowledge of his faithfulness to the privileges assigned to him in the divine plan by his Heavenly Father; for most of us have not known Christ after the flesh.
Failing to understand the doctrines of the divine plan and the wonderful position the divine Christ now occupies in the Father’s arrangement, the tendency of nominal churchianity has been to deify the man Jesus, and to judge the genuineness of Christian experience by the depth of emotional love one might feel toward him. It was to aid in this that statues of the man Jesus were introduced into the church, ignoring Paul’s statement that we no longer know Christ “after the flesh.”
This does not mean that a Christian should not appreciate the perfection of the man Christ Jesus, nor be inspired by his unswerving devotion to God and his love for righteousness. The manner in which Jesus obeyed his Father’s will, and by so doing laid down his life in sacrifice for both the church and the world, should ever be a pattern for us to follow. His gentleness, patience, sympathy, compassion, and love constitute a standard of character which we should continually strive to attain. Our hearts naturally go out in love to the One who, in displaying his Father’s love, so willingly gave up all in order that we might live.
It is surely inspiring to read, and to meditate upon, the historical records of the Master’s life of perfect obedience to his Father’s will. In our minds we love to go with him as he moves from city to city, and from one scene of active service to another, and hear those gracious words which fell from his lips. We almost envy the great privilege enjoyed by those first disciples of being personally with Jesus and so intimately associated in his work.
We think of Peter, James, and John, and of the fact that they seemed to appreciate Jesus just a little more than the others, and wanted to be near to him; and we might wonder why the others did not display the same personal love for their Lord. As we look back upon those circumstances, we are sure that if we had been there we would have clearly demonstrated our love for the gentle and perfect Jesus.
It is certain, we believe, that Jesus appreciated every evidence of love which was displayed toward him by his disciples and friends. Those who are noble of heart naturally appreciate nobility in others, and the disciples’ love for the Master was an evidence to him that they appreciated the godlike qualities which they saw displayed in him; and his love went out to them in return. This reciprocity of love is quite understandable even by the natural man, and although a beautiful characteristic, is in itself no evidence at all of special spiritual discernment.
That is why writers who know little or nothing about the divine plan and are almost totally blind to Jesus’ real position in that plan can, nevertheless, write such beautiful things pertaining to Jesus in the flesh. We rejoice that there are those who, even though it is not given to them to know the “mysteries of the kingdom of God,” nevertheless appreciate the glorious virtues of him who spake as never man spake, and who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.
That an understanding of the marvelous virtues of Jesus’ perfect character as a man does not signify an appreciation of spiritual things is apparent in the experiences of the disciples prior to Pentecost. The Apostle Peter loved the Master, a love which must have been based upon his glorious personality, but he had little spiritual discernment. When Jesus announced his intentions of visiting Jerusalem where he expected to be arrested and put to death, Peter said, “Be it far from thee, Lord.” (Matt. 16:22) Commenting on this, Jesus explained that Peter had expressed a purely human viewpoint.
John was a great lover of Jesus, delighting to be near to him and to lie upon his breast. But despite this deep personal attachment—which probably exceeded that which existed between David and Jonathan—this “disciple whom Jesus loved” was just as bewildered as the others when Jesus was crucified, and, together with Peter and James, decided to go back into the fishing business. John’s personal love for the Master was a beautiful thing, and Jesus appreciated it, and felt that one who was capable of such love would be an ideal guardian for his mother; but it did not represent spiritual discernment—although it was a rich soil in which later there developed a beautiful spiritual character.
“If Ye Love Me”
Jesus certainly must have appreciated his disciples’ love for him, and he endeavored to channel it along proper lines. He knew that personal affection for him as a man was not the ultimate test of true discipleship, irrespective of other considerations. He recognized that such an affection, undirected by the principles of the divine plan, could easily lead to serious errors of viewpoint and practice. Indeed, he had seen this demonstrated in Peter’s insistence that he not take a course which would lead to his death. It is because of this that in the few references to their love for Jesus we find him endeavoring to transform it from a personal attachment to a love for and obedience to the things for which he stood, and to a broad, self-sacrificing love for all those associated with him in the outworking of the Father’s plan.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) To Jesus the personal affection of his disciples, no matter how emotionally deep it may have been—as in the case of John—meant little, unless it could be translated into obedience to his teachings. So we do not find Jesus sermonizing on the importance of loving him; but noting the evident personal affection his disciples displayed, he used it to engender in them a transcendent love, a love which would not be limited to him alone, but would embrace the great divine cause for which he stood, and include as well, all those who participated in it.
Jesus’ Commandments
Outstanding among Jesus’ commandments is the one in which he enjoins upon his followers the necessity of loving one another as he loved them. This was a love which expressed itself in sacrifice. It rose far above natural affection and impelled the Master to lay down his life for those who became his disciples and espoused his Father’s cause. Jesus considered it important for his disciples to understand his unselfish interest in them, and indicated that they could express a higher love for him by their willingness similarly to lay down their lives for one another.
This “new” commandment surely points to a very understandable and practical manner in which we can express our love for our risen and glorified Lord. We cannot see him, even as we cannot see our Heavenly Father, but we can see the members of his body—those whom he particularly, loves, and for whom he laid down his life. By loving and serving these, even to the extent of laying down our lives for them, we demonstrate our love for the Master. Conversely, no matter how much we may claim to love Jesus, if we are indifferent to the needs of our brethren, it means that our professions are vain and empty.
And this “new commandment” is only one of many which Jesus enjoined upon us, and failure to obey any of them would evidence a lack of love for him. They are not always named commandments, however. There are all those wonderful instructions in his Sermon on the Mount, spoken of by Jesus himself, as “these sayings of mine.” These are so important that Jesus likened anyone who ignored them to a person who builds his house upon the sand, only to have it destroyed when the storms beat upon it.—Matt. 7:21-27
One of these “sayings,” or commandments, has to do with our bearing witness to the truth. Jesus explained that his followers were to be the “light of the world,” and said that we should not keep our light under a “bushel.” Then he added, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16) Our professions of love for Jesus would be but as empty words should we fail to obey this commandment.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,” is another of Jesus’ commandments. (Matt. 6:33) To keep this “saying” means that everything else in life must be made secondary to seeking the kingdom of God. We “seek” the kingdom and its righteousness through our study of the Word and obedience to all its precepts. We seek the kingdom by laying down our lives for the brethren, and by letting our light shine for the blessing of others; and Jesus accepts all of these as evidences of our love for him.
We cannot properly “seek” the kingdom of God without being enthusiastically interested in all the things which the kingdom will mean to both the church and the world. Seeking the kingdom from the standpoint of our own share in its spiritual phase means that we will lay up treasures in heaven, so will not have our hearts set upon laying up earthly treasures. We will set our affections on things above, not on things of the earth.
We will also be enthusiastic about the blessings of restitution which the Lord has provided for all mankind. As our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus view the matter, one would give little evidence of love for them if in any manner he was indifferent to the wonderful provisions they have made for the blessing of the fallen and dying race. Just think, the restitution feature of the kingdom was so important to God that he caused all his prophets to write about it! And God so loved the “world,” not merely the church, that he gave his Son to die in order that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Surely our seeking the kingdom, through which the blessings of restitution will be made available to the people, must include a lively interest in this great objective of the kingdom.
If we thrill at the thought of the coming “times of restitution of all things” we will want to talk about this theme of the prophets, and we will want to tell the world about it. To be in this attitude of mind and heart does not indicate a lack of love for Christ, or for God, but the opposite, for it reveals our appreciation of one of the outstanding features of the plan of God.
Satan would like us to believe that our love for Christ can be demonstrated apart from consideration of the doctrines of the divine plan, particularly the great doctrine of restitution. But this is just one of his cunning sophistries by which he endeavors to take the truth away from God’s people, or at least to minimize its importance so that it is no longer a vital issue in their lives.
“Feed My Sheep”
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) It is a thought similar to this that Jesus emphasized in his dialog with Peter on the occasion of one of the last of his appearances to his disciples before his ascension. The account of this revealing conversation between the two is recorded in John 21:15-17. During the closing days of Jesus’ ministry Peter had professed great love for him, although he had manifested it in ways which the Master did not approve. It was his love for Jesus that prompted Peter to advise him not to enter Jerusalem, where his enemies were plotting to kill him. It was also his love for the Master that caused Peter to draw his sword and cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest. Peter avowed that he would be willing to lay down his life for the Master, asserting that even though all the other disciples should forsake him, he would not.
Jesus knew that Peter was sincere in his love, but that he had gone through a great trial of his faith, so on this occasion by the lakeside Jesus questioned him about his love, and gave instructions as to the real way it should be demonstrated. He asked Peter, “Lovest thou me more than these?” It is not too clear just what Jesus meant by “these.” One thought is that he thus alluded to Peter’s profession of greater love for him than that possessed by the others, that even though they all forsook him, Peter would stand by to defend his Master. It could also be a reference to the fishing equipment, since Peter and the others had decided to return to the fishing business.
Which of these viewpoints is correct is not important to our present discussion. One thing is certain, Jesus was not referring to the doctrines of the divine plan, nor to the Christian’s privileges of service based upon those doctrines, when he asked, “Lovest thou me more than these?” Strange as it is that anyone should want to so distort the Scriptures as to read this thought into the Master’s question, it has been done. How unthinkable it would be to suppose that Jesus would endeavor to alienate the love of his disciples from his Father’s plans and purposes in order to have them concentrate their affections upon him!
Jesus questioned Peter three times concerning his love, and each time, when the apostle confirmed the fact of his love, Jesus commissioned him to “feed” his “sheep,” or, as in the first instance, his “lambs.” How wholly this is in keeping with what Jesus previously had said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Jesus knew that it would be only a little while till Peter would no longer be able to see him, and that there would be nothing he could do for him personally by which he could demonstrate his love. But here was something he could do; he could serve the Lord’s people by helping to supply them with needed spiritual food.
And how wonderfully Peter carried out this commission, as is evidenced particularly in his two remarkable epistles! In his first epistle, he dwells at length on the subject of Christ’s suffering, and the fact that we are called to share in those sufferings. tie explains that this is in keeping with the testimonies of the prophets, when they had foretold “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” (ch. 1:11) In chapter 2, verses 20 and 21, he explains that this foretold suffering of The Christ results, not from doing evil, but from doing good. Discussing the subject still further, Peter writes, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”—ch. 4:12,13
Christian suffering is related to one of the precious doctrines of the truth—that great fact of the church’s participation in the “better sacrifices” of the Gospel age. Some might be inclined to say that this doctrine is unimportant, and that it would be better simply to concentrate on our efforts to love Jesus. But apparently Peter did not feel this way about it, for it was in obedience to Jesus’ command, “Feed my sheep,” that he wrote nearly an entire epistle for the purpose of strengthening the brethren in this great truth of the divine plan. And he did it in demonstration of his love for Jesus.
“Be ye holy; for I am holy,” Peter quoted from the Old Testament. (ch. 1:16) He recognized the importance of “holiness unto the Lord” on the part of all those who have named the name of Christ, so in feeding the “sheep” he stressed this point.
He admonished the “sheep” also to lay aside “all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings.” He explained that in their guilelessness the Lord’s people should be as “newborn babes” desiring “the sincere milk of the Word” that they might “grow thereby.” (ch. 2:1,2) There is nothing in this admonition to indicate that a Christian should ever be anything else than childlike in his simplicity and sincerity. Perhaps in writing these words Peter remembered a statement by Jesus, “Suffer little children … to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”—Matt. 19:14
One of Satan’s subtle sophistries is his teaching that Christians should get out of the babyhood stage and become spiritual giants in their ability to understand the “mysteries” of the Bible. Many have been lured away from their simplicity in the truth by this appealing philosophy, and have become proud and conceited in their alleged superior knowledge. But let us remember that what the Lord is looking for in those who love him is purity of heart and childlike simplicity in their zeal to know and to do his will—“Of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
In demonstrating his love for the Good Shepherd by feeding his sheep, Peter explains that they are as stones in a building—“lively stones”—which form a spiritual house; that they are a holy priesthood to offer sacrifice, and that Jesus is the Head of this new spiritual house. Then he adds that they are a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”—ch. 2:5-9
In feeding the Lord’s sheep further, Peter explains that Jesus, by his example, preached to “spirits in prison”—spirits, or angels, who were disobedient at the time of the flood—and that the salvation of Noah and his family in the Flood was typical of Christian baptism.—ch. 3:19-21
In obeying the commission, “Feed my sheep,” Peter warns us that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” and then adds, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.”—ch. 5:8,9
“The Sure Word of Prophecy”
In Peter’s second epistle he feeds the Lord’s sheep by presenting the great truths pertaining to the kingdom and the second presence of Christ, using these as an incentive to add to our faith, fortitude, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and love. He says that if we do these things an abundant entrance shall be ministered unto us “into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (ch. 1:4-11) Peter explained that he wrote this second epistle in order that the brethren might have it as an encouragement after he died. Thus did he make sure that he was faithful to his Master’s commission.
He tells about the vision of transfiguration which he had witnessed, and that this had convinced him he had not followed cunningly devised fables in making known “the power and coming [parousia, presence] of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (ch. 1:15-18) He adds, however, that we have a more “sure Word of prophecy” unto which we should take heed, as “unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise” in our hearts. (vs. 19) In other words, Peter recognized that the prophetic testimony of the Bible was very important spiritual food for the Lord’s sheep, and that it is essential for them to take heed thereto.
Chapter two of this epistle is devoted almost entirely to a warning against false teachers in the church, particularly those who were at one time seemingly sound in the truth, but who become like the dog which is turned to its vomit, and to the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. These, he warns, would promise “liberty” to the Lord’s sheep, yet they themselves are actually in bondage to their own corruptions of the truth.—vs. 19
In the third chapter, Peter returns to the theme of the Lord’s second presence and the establishment of the kingdom. He explains that in the last clays there would come scoffers, saying, “Where is the promise of his coming [parousia, presence]?” In answering these scoffers Peter reminds us of our Lord’s use of the days of Noah as an illustration of the “days of the Son of Man.” He speaks of the world which was before the Flood, the present “heavens and the earth” and the “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Reminding us that the “present evil world” would be destroyed as a result of the Lord’s presence, he adds, “What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.”—ch. 3:11
There can be no mistaking the implication of Peter’s two epistles, written, as they were, to feed the Lord’s sheep; for in them virtually every phase of the divine plan is touched upon, either directly or indirectly, and throughout he draws heavily upon the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament as an important source of spiritual food.
And all of these spiritually nourishing truths are given to the church by Peter as evidence of his love for the Master and his desire to obey the commission, “Feed my sheep.” Since this represents Peter’s understanding of how one can demonstrate his love for Jesus, we can safely view the matter in the same way. What it means is that our love for Jesus, and in fact our love for the Heavenly Father also, is manifested by our appreciation of and loyalty to the great truths of the divine plan given to us in the Word.
And how logical this is! How empty would be our professions of love for God and for the Master if at the same time we were to minimize the importance of the arrangements whereby divine blessings reach both the church and the world! How else, indeed, could we know anything about God and about Jesus, except as they have revealed themselves to us through the truth? Let us, therefore, demonstrate our love by our continued appreciation of and loyalty to the truth.
“If” we love our Master, then our love will be demonstrated by obeying his commandments, by our willingness to lay down our lives for the brethren, and by appreciation of the truth and faithfully using it in building up the brethren in our “most holy faith,” as well as in telling the whole world the glad tidings of the kingdom,
Thus our love for Jesus and for our Heavenly Father is taken out of the abstract, visionary realm, and made a practical, understandable power in our lives. While we remain in the flesh, we cannot see God, nor can we see Jesus; but we can “see” and appreciate the precious truths of the Word which reveals their characters to us; and we can see our brethren, and lay down our lives for them. And may this love fill and control our lives more and more each day! May it, indeed, become an all-possessing influence in our lives, impelling us to sacrifice everything in the service of him whom we love more than life itself.
Jesus summed up the thought for us beautifully, saying to his disciples, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21) The Apostle John, who reported this wonderful promise, later wrote to the church saying, “This is love, that we walk after his commandments.” And again, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”—II John 6,9