Keep My Commandments

Good afternoon and welcome to the Oklahoma Panhandle. Camps are gearing up once more. Boy's Camp next week and the Youth Camp the week after. This means that I will not be able to post for a couple of weeks. But don't worry by the first part of August I ought to be able to post again. But for now come on in pull up a chair, open your Bible and let's see what God's Word has for us today.

The General Command of Christ for today is found in verse 15, but it really needs to be followed up by Christ Jesus' promise in verse 16. John 14:15-16 - “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— “

In verse 15 we have Christ Jesus giving us an “If and then” statement. If you love me … keep My commandments. (Keep) - Lay up in your hearts and preserve by careful watching. (My commandments) Lit., the commandments which are mine. If we will keep Christ Jesus' commandments then we are given a promise, a promise of a comforter. This connection seems designed to teach that the proper temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a heart filled with the love of Christ Jesus, which lives actively for Him, and so this was the fitting preparation for the promised gift.

Comforter - a word used only by John; in his Gospel with reference to the Holy Spirit, in his First Epistle (1 John 2:1), with reference to Christ Himself. Its proper sense is an “advocate,” “patron,” “helper.” In this sense it is plainly meant of Christ (1 John 2:1), and in this sense it comprehends all the comfort as well as aid of the Spirit’s work. The Spirit is here promised as One who would supply Christ’ Jesus' own place in His absence. He will never go away, as Christ Jesus was going to do in the body.¹

Christ Jesus has great concern for these “little children.” He will not leave them “orphans” with no one to care for them (v. 18). So He assured His disciples that He would ask the Father to give them a “Helper,” the Paraclete (v. 16). We don't have no single word in our language that can express the rich, powerful meaning of “Paraclete,” the English translation of the unique title John uses for this Holy Companion. Para in the Greek means “alongside,” and the root of kletos is “to call.” So this “Helper” whom Christ Jesus would send would be alongside the disciples as Christ Jesus has been, “calling out” as an “encourager,” a “counselor,” an “advocate,” a “witness,” and as a “judge.” “Paraclete” means all this and even more. And He is given to Christ Jesus disciples, that includes you if you know Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savaiour.

The Paraclete comes into the world as Christ Jesus was sent into the world. He is the promised gift of the Father, sent at the Son’s request. But He is given only to those who have received the Son, love Him, and keep His commandments. These are the conditions which determine His being given. The Paraclete is not given to the world which neither sees nor knows Him. Why? Because the world has been blind and deaf to Christ Jesus, so those in the world do not know the Paraclete or that He has come.²

The advocate who is to be sent is not different from Christ Jesus, but another similar to Himself.³ The Holy Spirit is also fully God, with all the attributes of God the Father and Christ Jesus, God the Son.

If you love Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then show it by keeping His commandments, and be ready for the Holy Spirit to come along side you and walk with you on this journey called life.

Well, that's all for this week. Thanks for dropping by and I pray the Lord's blessings on you and yours.

Biblesurfer

1 Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 156.

2 Roger L. Fredrikson and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, John, vol. 27, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1985), 223–224.

3 Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 2 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 244.