Thus says the Word of God:
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
(John 15:10, ESV)
When the Reformation was all the rage in old Europe, with sucessions of colloquia, disputationes and pamphlet polemics, it was common to accuse evangelical Christians of not giving due place and emphasis to the need of Christian sanctification, and of sidelining the need of good works. It was common to allege that once one attained justification by the sole faith in Jesus Christ, one was in danger of believing in a sort of license for the unrestrained commiting of sins. Of course, Reformers strongly denied this false accusation.
These words of our Lord tell us how important good works are for the Christian. To follow Jesus Christ means to abide in His love, a perfect love, outpoured to the extreme of the supreme sacrifice to the cause of the salvation of humankind. Following Jesus Christ does not mean taking a kind of mental aspirine to relieve the daily troubles of our existence amid a crass emotionalism. To follow Jesus is, first and foremost, to live and practice God’s love and compassion towards the entire humankind while extending the Father’s Kingdom.
It is noteworthy the way the Lord Jesus shows the norm and criterion of the practice of love: a sacrificial commitment to obey the will of God, no matter what it takes, as Jesus Himself obeyed the commandments of His Father to the utmost.
Are we willing to follow Jesus in His obedience? There lies the proof of our faith.
Prayer
Beloved Father, who in the person of Your Son has shown us Your love and mercy: Increase our faith in a way that, together with Your Holy Spirit, we may walk in the way shown to us by Your Son Jesus Christ, obeying His commandments and abiding in His love. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Funny how people forget The Calling is a call first to carry a cross. We volunteer for suffering of all sorts when we embrace Jesus. He holds us to Him with nail-scarred hands.