How do we know that we love our Lord and Master Jesus Christ?

The sentimental baptist might answer: "I have Jesus in my heart." But all Christians can say that, because our Father and His son Jesus come to us and "make their home" with us (John 14:23).

Jesus had a simple answer for our question: "If you love Me, keep My commandments . . . He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me" (John 14:15, 21).

Jesus Christ hasn't changed in the last 2000 years, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If we came to Jesus today and asked Him what we must do to inherit eternal life, His answer would be the same one He gave to the rich young man nearly 2000 years ago: "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). And we know which commandments Jesus quoted when the young man asked Him which commandments he should keep. Jesus quoted from the Ten Commandments. If we want to have eternal life, we will do what Jesus said.

Jesus also gave us another easy answer to our question: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word" (John 14:23). If we love Jesus, we won't twist or deny His words. The apostle Paul loved Jesus. He kept His word and taught that those who do not keep the commandments will not enter the kingdom of God, i. e., inherit eternal life: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Paul understood the magnitude of God's grace, because through it "there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Paul recognized the danger of abusing that grace in believing that we do not have to keep the commandments that Jesus told the rich young man to keep if he wanted to have eternal life: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin [the transgression of the law, see 1 John 3:4] that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2).

The apostle John loved Jesus. He kept His word: "Now by this we know that we know Him [Jesus], if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3).

John made it crystal clear; professing Jesus is not enough to be His disciple: "He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (verse 4).

He who claims to know Jesus and does keep the commandments is not only a liar: he does not love Jesus.

With these thoughts I wish everyone a rewarding Sabbath!