Calvary Road Baptist Church

“FROM FAITH TO LOVE”

John 14.15-17

Let us not lose sight of the reality that, hours before His crucifixion on the cross of Calvary, twelve men are walking on that particular evening toward the Garden of Gethsemane. It is reasonable to suggest that they love each other unreservedly. It is also correct to note that One of them loves the other eleven infinitely, so much so that by this time tomorrow, He will have suffered the death of the cross for them despite having done nothing wrong. Have you known such love? Have you loved with such love?

Consider that the first fourteen verses of John chapter 14 record the Savior’s concern for His remaining apostles’ faith in light of their alarm about His departure and physical separation from them. However, if you carefully read the passage, you will note that the Lord’s emphasis on their faith begins to transition to their hope, as faith often does, starting in John 14.12. Read those three verses with me, if you will. John 14.12-14: 

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it

Do you see how the consideration of their present faith spills into a consideration of their future? In verse 12 we read, “shall he do also,” and then, “shall he do.” Verse 13 contains the phrases, “shall ask in my name,” “that will I do,” and “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Then, verse 14 contains these two phrases: “If ye shall ask anything,” and “I will do it.” Each of those phrases anticipates the future, by faith. And what is an anticipation of the future by faith but hope? Beginning with our text for today, the Lord Jesus Christ moves to the topic of their love. Is that a surprise to anyone familiar with the New Testament? It should not be much of a surprise. I remind you of First Corinthians 13.13, where the Apostle Paul writes of the three sisters, faith, hope, and love: 

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 

If it is a surprise to you, it is a pleasant one to see the Lord Jesus Christ anticipate the Apostle Paul, by directly mentioning faith, by then implying hope, and then by directly mentioning love. We now consider His commandments to the apostles, the apostles’ love for Him, and His promise of the Holy Spirit, John 14.15-17: 

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Observe three things in this passage: 

First, THE SAVIOR’S PREMISE 

John 14.15:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 

This might seem to be a very simple and straightforward little verse, this third-class conditional sentence, but the implications of these few words are profound.[1]

Before we do anything else with this brief statement, let us attend to what the Lord Jesus Christ’s words here seem to echo from the covenant demands of God found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy: 

Deuteronomy 5.10: 

“And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” 

Deuteronomy 6.5-6:

5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. 

Deuteronomy 7.9:

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” 

Deuteronomy 10.12-13:     

12  And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

13  To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 

Deuteronomy 11.13, 22:    

13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 

22  For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him. 

In light of our Lord Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of the Law, and the references made in the New Testament by both James and Paul to a law principle that was not the Law of Moses,[2] recognize that the Law of Moses was not given to Gentiles at all, and not even to all Jews.[3] Thus, the passages just read, while embedded in the Law of Moses, show a relationship between love for God and obedience to God that is not limited in any way to the Law of Moses. Instead, the display of love by obedience is a timeless principle that should not be limited in any way to legal obligations connected to the Law of Moses. It is that eternal principle our Lord was echoing in His remark in John 14.15, not any reminder to His apostles of any Law of Moses covenant obligations.

Turning our attention to John 14.15, observe that to this point, the Lord Jesus Christ has wonderfully demonstrated His love for His own (by washing their feet), has declared His love for them, and has commanded them to love one another, John 13.34-35. Now, for the first time in the Fourth Gospel, He speaks of their love for Him.[4] Notice that He links together two realities, love for Him and obedience to Him. They are, in fact, inseparable, despite the unwillingness of so many professing Christians to admit to this connection or to demonstrate it in their lives. One does not love Jesus Christ if one does not obey Him. This is not a complicated truth to grasp. Thus, one’s love for Christ bears no real semblance to one’s emotional attachment to Him, or one’s tears shed for Him, or one’s verbal expressions to many people of love for Him. The person who obeys Christ while remaining somewhat expressionless nevertheless demonstrates love for Him, while the gushy and sentimental professor of great love for Christ who does not obey Him does not demonstrate love for Him at all: 

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 

While the connection existing between one’s love for Christ and one’s obedience to Christ is absolute and unmistakable, there is another truth advanced by our Lord’s comment that is implied here rather than declared. Notice that He speaks of obedience to Him rather than obedience to God. The phrase ends, “keep my commandments.” The fact that He issues commands and demands obedience is in itself an implication of His deity. No mere man would insist on such compliance as our Lord here requires. Only God has the prerogative to issue such commands as our Lord issues. As well, be mindful that the Lord Jesus is not urging upon His apostles obedience to the Law of Moses at this point, but obedience to His commands.

Consider, if you will, what these eleven men have been confronted with over the space of moments rather than minutes, after the jarring experiences in the Upper Room of 

To already challenged men, our Lord adds that He can be prayed to, that He issues commands that are to be obeyed, and they are to love Him (whereas their whole lives they had been trained to love and obey God only). Disturbed? Disrupted? Discombobulated? They are now ready to hear the promise of a provision, Another Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God. 

Next, THE SAVIOR’S PROMISE and PROVISION 

John 14.16-17:

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

This is another of those profoundly rich passages given to us by the Holy Spirit through the inspired pen of the Apostle John. “It is the first of several passages on the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room discourse. Up to this point in John’s Gospel, little has been said about the Holy Spirit. The words to Nicodemus (3:5-8) were private and 7:39 pointed ahead to Pentecost.”[5] Seven separate sermons could easily be developed from these two verses, but I will restrict our treatment of the passage to seven extended comments:

Comment one, about Christ’s equality with the Father: 

“And I will pray the Father.” 

Our Lord’s equality with God the Father is shown by the particular word that is translated “I will pray,” from the Greek word ἐrwtá½±w, which is not the usual verb translated “pray.” Aá¼°tá½³w, which is never used in connection with the Savior’s prayers to His heavenly Father, is the usual word used in connection with the disciple’s prayers.[6] They must implore, beseech, and plead when they pray, as must we as well. This is because their prayers and our prayers are the requests and supplications of inferiors to God. The Son of God, on the other hand, merely asks. He asks the Father as an equal, never beseeching Him as an inferior. Thus, the choice of this particular verb shows His equality with God the Father.

Comment two, about the Spirit’s equality with the Savior: 

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.” 

Here, again, we have equality shown by the selection of an important word. The critical word is translated “another,” one of two Greek words commonly so translated. The two terms are ἄllos and ἕteros. Ἄllos, the word found here distinguishes the Holy Spirit from the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. The implication is that as God, the Father is the God of all comfort (Second Corinthians 1.3), as the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ is our Advocate (First John 2.1, using the same word translated Comforter), so the Holy Spirit is Another such Person.[7] It is essential to recognize that the Spirit’s personality is asserted here. Unless He is a Person, He cannot be another of the same kind of comforter as God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Comment three, about the Spirit’s enduring presence: 

“he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.” 

Notice the Cause and effect that is described here. In response to the Lord Jesus Christ’s request of His Father, God will, in the future, give to the disciples (and to the rest of us who trust Christ) Another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever. The effect of the Father’s gift to believers is the Spirit Who will abide with us forever. Thus, we have promised to us the persistent presence of the Holy Spirit of God.

Comment four, about the Trinity that is in evidence: 

“I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.” 

The pronoun “I” refers, of course, to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father is, also, of course, God the Father. The coequal other Comforter is the Holy Spirit of God. I have shown you how the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in this verse to be equal to God the Father. I have shown you how the Holy Spirit is revealed to be equal to the Lord Jesus Christ and also God the Father. Yet we also see in this verse that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct from each other (in that They are distinguished by the Savior), while at the same time being equal. That, my friends, is the very picture of the Trinity. Three Persons, coequal in every way, and also co-eternal, being three Persons, yet one God.

Comment five, about the Spirit of truth. Verse 17 begins, 

Even the Spirit of truth.” 

This is a significant statement in light of John 14.6, where our Lord claims that He is the truth. Thus is shown the incredible harmony of purpose as well as the unity of essence of the Savior and the Spirit of God. The concept of truth in John’s Gospel encompasses several aspects that I will mention without elaboration: 

Thus, in Biblical Christianity, and in relation to the Word of God, the God of the Word, the Son of God, and the Spirit of God, there is no such thing as your truth or my truth. There is only the truth, and nothing unconnected to Scripture or to the Godhead can ultimately be true.

Comment six, about the antagonism of the Spirit and the world: 

“the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.” 

The world, of course, is a reference to our present evil moral system that is opposed to the plan and purpose of God. We are forbidden to love this world because you cannot love God and at the same time love the world, First John 2.15-16: 

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

While we are forbidden to love this world, notice that we are directed in Romans 13.1-5 to be in subjection to the authorities in this world, the “higher powers” that are “ordained of God.” Yet we find instances in both the Old Testament and also the New of godly men engaged in discreet acts of civil disobedience. At the same time, they strive to obey the “higher powers” as faithfully as possible without sinning against God. This creates a challenging dilemma for every believer, especially Christian moms and dads who seek wisdom to raise their children in this world, recognizing that this world system tries to lure and entice everyone away from God and the things of God. Would anyone argue that our various levels of government are not engaged in that disreputable effort? Why else would so many Christian parents remove their children from public schools? It is because of who dominates this evil world order, First John 5.19: 

And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 

Therefore, since the Spirit of God is always on God’s side and the side of every Christian’s welfare and the world is always on the Devil’s side and seeks to seduce and tempt Christians, the Spirit and this world system will always be at odds. The world cannot receive Him, cannot see Him, and certainly does not know Him. This creates a scenario in which some Christians seeking to honor God will do so by obeying government edicts, and other Christians seeking to honor God will do so by not obeying government edicts. Does anyone think this maze can be negotiated by God’s people apart from an abundance of grace and wisdom from God? Recognize this, and you understand why we must pray for and encourage each other.

Finally, a comment about Christ’s three relationship assertions about the Spirit to His apostles: 

“but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” 

These are three encouragements. Of course, the apostles know the Spirit. They had preached and worked miracles for three and a half years by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was possible because the Spirit of God dwelled with them, though He was not in them. With them, as He indwelt the Son of God (and the Lord Jesus Christ did nothing that was not empowered and enabled by the Spirit, Who He was given without measure, John 3.34). Then there was the promise that the Spirit shall be in you. When was this promise fulfilled? On Pentecost? No, not at all. The baptism of the Spirit took place on Pentecost, but the indwelling by the Spirit took place after Christ’s resurrection but before Pentecost, where we read in John 20.22, 

“he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” 

The indwelling of Christ’s apostles began, according to this verse, before the Savior’s ascension to God’s right hand on high, and before the Day of Pentecost.[9] 

What can we learn from this intimate interaction that took place between the Lord Jesus Christ and His beloved apostles only hours before His death on the cross? There are several things that were of great benefit to them and can serve believers of our day wonderfully, as well.

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to His men about faith before He spoke to them about love. To be sure, love is supremely important. We saw that in the five passages I read aloud from Deuteronomy at the beginning of this message. But there is a necessary sequence associated with these three sisters, faith, hope, and love.

Faith always leads the way. Faith must always lead the way. The way a relationship with God is established, the way a sinner comes to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way, is through faith. Only by faith in Jesus Christ and knowing Him, can someone subsequently come to appreciate the love of God for him in Christ Jesus.

Once the faith connection to God through Christ is established, once the sinner is justified, the capacity to love will then be an outgrowth of that saving faith, as the Apostle Paul revealed in Romans 5.1-5: 

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

You might be thinking, “But the apostles were already believers in Christ.” Yes, they were. And as believers, the Lord Jesus Christ knew they needed their faith strengthened. So, in John 14.1-11, He spoke to them about their faith, bolstering their belief in Him in preparation for their great trial of faith.

Alluding to hope along the way, He settles in our passage today on this matter of love and the Holy Spirit, the two being inseparably intertwined. Love is one aspect, perhaps the primary element of the fruit of the indwelling Spirit. Galatians 5.22-23 read, 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Pause with me for a moment. In your mind’s eye, observe the Lord and His men walking toward the Garden of Gethsemane, Him knowing that He would soon be betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested to be tried unjustly before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus Christ’s thoughts were nevertheless on the spiritual welfare of His apostles. How He showed Himself here to truly be the Good Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Great Shepherd.[10] How He showed them His love for them. Heading toward trouble that would rock them to their foundations, He revisited their need for a strengthened faith and an obedient love through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Whereas those eleven men were headed to a crisis that challenged their faith, you and I have been wrapped up in a first time in our lives crisis for weeks now. Whether we have taken note of it or not, with each of us there has been a challenge to both our faith and our love. Take note that both our faith and our love have as their primary object the Lord Jesus Christ.

We trust Him for both the saving and the sustaining of our eternal and undying souls. And if our faith wavers, it then needs to be strengthened and refreshed, does it not? Onward through hope, we come to love. Love is produced by the Holy Spirit in our lives, so long as we do not quench or grieve Him.

Further, love is rightly seen as being primarily directed toward God as we come to appreciate God’s love for us. “We love him, because he first loved us,” First John 4.19. But it doesn’t stop there, for we read in verses 20-21, 

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 

This will be the great challenge to God’s children around the world as we move through this pandemic mess and regain some semblance of normalcy in our lives. We need our faith to be strengthened. And we need for our love to be cultivated and deployed toward others, and to push fear that leads to torment from our lives.

In First Thessalonians chapter one, the Apostle Paul refers to the outworking of faith and love as “the work of faith” and “the labor of love.” Both are vital to the living of the Christian life, both then and now. How will you go about doing that in the context of the Church, keeping in mind that “Christ ... loved the church, and gave himself for it,” Ephesians 5.25? That is every Christian’s challenge.

Faith, hope, and love. Only the child of God has saving (which is to say working) faith, hope, and love that obeys God and loves the brethren. As we come out of this catastrophe, you and I will be challenged to seek wisdom from God and employ that wisdom to glorify God, to serve God, and to seek to bring the lost to Christ.

May God bless you as you serve Him.

__________

[1] “Third class is the probable future condition. It is expressed by ἐάn with the subjunctive in the protasis and any form need in the apodosis. It expresses that which is not really taking place but which probably will take place in the future,” Ray Summers, Essentials of New Testament Greek, (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1950), page 109.

[2] James 2.8; Galatians 6.2

[3] Romans 3.19; Deuteronomy 5.3

[4] Carson, page 498.

[5] Walvoord & Zuck, page 323.

[6] Hendriksen, page 275.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Kostenberger, page 438.

[9] See Edward Reese, The Reese Chronological Bible, (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1977), pages 1412 and 1416-1418.

[10] John 10.11, 14; Hebrews 13.20; 1 Peter 5.4

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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church