Love
Jesus is in love with you. He wants us to love one another. This is how others know we are following Jesus Christ. We have accepted Him as our Savior, have you?
This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.
If you do not have a Bible, I invite you to go to BibleGateway.com or another online Bible.
12-14. Jesus said this is a commandment. Love one another.
There is no greater love than a man giving up his life for his friends.
If we are friends to Jesus, we will do what he wants us to do.
“Our friendship to each other and to the Lord is not perfect, but His friendship to us is perfect.” Wiersbe, (Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 357)
“Christians are called to exemplify the same kind of sacrificial giving toward one another, even if such a sacrifice involves the laying down of one’s own life in imitation of Christ’s example (cf. 1 John 3:16).” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1407)
15. Abraham was called the friend of God. (2 Chronicles 20:7 Isaiah 41:8 James 2:23
“As a friend of God, Abraham shared God’s secrets.” (Wiersbe, 357)
“It is this kind of a relationship that Jesus described when He called His disciples ‘friends.’ It was certainly a relationship of love, both for Him and for each other.” (Wiersbe, 357)
“Jesus tells us that He has revealed the things of God to us. That is what a friend does.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 469)
Chosen
16. “In case any pretense might exist among the disciples in terms of spiritual pride because of the privileges they enjoyed, Jesus made it clear that such privilege rested not in their own merit, but on His sovereign choice of them.” (MacArthur, 1407)
“The NT describes fruit as godly attitudes (Galatians 5:22-23), righteous behavior (Philippians 1:11), praise (Hebrews 13:15), and, especially, leading others to faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God (Romans 1:13-16).”
17. We are to love one another.
It is important, this is the second time Jesus said it in this passage. First was in verse 12.
18. “If they hated Him, they will also hate those of us who are identified with Him.” (Wiersbe, 360)
19. “We were all once in the world, but those who belong to Jesus have been chosen by him out of the world. The hatred the world shows Christians is nothing more or less than a reflection of the hatred it shows Jesus himself.” [Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. [B&H Publishing Group.] Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
20-21. Jesus is repeating what He said in John 13:16.
The apostles, and all believers in Jesus “could expect to be treated like he was treated because those who hated Him don’t know God (v. 21) and would hate them also and conversely, those who listened with faith to Him would hear them also.” (MacArthur, 1409)
“The religious world today claims to know God, but it does not want to bow the knee to Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only Savor of the world.” (Wiersbe, 361)
Sin
22. “When people are brought face to face with the gospel message and refuse it to continue in their sin, they bring upon themselves the guilt and consequences of their sin.” [Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. [B&H Publishing Group]. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
There is no excuse for our sin.
“All the evidence had been presented, but they were not honest enough to receive it and act on it.” (Wiersbe, 361)
23. Jesus is saying if you hate Him, you hate the Father also.
24. “Here we add a fourth reason for the world’s hatred—conviction by the gospel. At the end of the passage Jesus redirected the disciples’ thinking to the miracles they had seen. He argued that if he had never proclaimed the Father’s message, never done any miracles, he could have gotten along just fine in the world.” [Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. [B&H Publishing Group]. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
25. “The Word assured Him that the hatred of the world was not because of anything He had done to deliberately incite such opposition.” (Wiersbe, 361) Psalm 35:19 Psalm 69:4 Philippians 1:28-30 2 Timothy 2:9-12; Hebrews 12:3-4 1 Peter 4:12ff
26-27. “The Spirit also witnesses to us and through us during times of persecution…The Spirit witnesses to us so we can witness to the world (Mark 13:11). Apart from the power of the Spirit of God, we cannot give a clear witness for Christ (Acts 1:8).” (Wiersbe, 361)
“If the Lord Jesus is not as real to you as you wish He were, ask the Spirit of God to do a work in your heart. We need the reality of Christ in our hearts and lives.” (McAfee, 470)
References
In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.
Max Anders and Kenneth O. Gangel (2012). HNTC Vol. 04: John. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004
