“If”

“By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35

Have you ever had just one word jump out of a verse at you? Earlier this week, my pastor was preaching from John 13:35 and posed the question: “Why do you think there is an “if” there?”

It got me thinking. While it is true that “if” is sometimes used to convey the idea of “since,” I think there is something deeper going on here. You see, as Jesus spoke these words, He had just sent Judas off to finalize his betrayal of Jesus.

We know from several things mentioned in the Gospels that Jesus was well aware of the frailty of human hearts. And, as God Himself, present at and involved in the creation of mankind, He surely was aware that His followers (including you and me) would not always follow through.

He said that all would know we are His disciples if we have love (agape, or Christlike love) towards each other. He used a word that, in the Greek, is clearly conditional. In other words, His “if” was purposeful.

What does that mean for us? A couple applications come to mind.

First, I am reminded that God knows us. He knows our weaknesses and our failings. He knows our tendency toward distraction and sin. He knows that we can only show His love to others if we are depending on His Spirit to empower. Psalm 44:1 tells us that God “knoweth the secrets of the heart,” and I am always encouraged by Psalm 103:13-14:

“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”  

God knows. He knows when we are struggling to do right, He knows when those we are called to love are behaving in very unlovely ways. He knows when we feel like giving up. –But that never gives us an excuse.

This brings us to our second application: Christlike love is a choice. Jesus said “if,” knowing there is a real chance that we will not choose to live out our faith by loving others. But the “if” also shows us what happens when we do not choose to respond in love.

You can probably think of Christians you know who have failed to respond to a person or circumstance in Christlike love. These are the examples of Christianity that the world labels hypocrisy, because even the world knows how Christians ought to behave.

The world will not recognize us as Christians if we are acting contrary to the love which defines God’s very nature (“God is love” 1 John 4:8)

But remember, the same love that willingly bore the shame and torture of the cross on our behalf also convicts our hearts of sin. Christlike love means being willing to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and to fight for our fellow Christians when they fall into sin (Matthew 18:15-16). I love how Jude 20-23 illustrates this:

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

When we respond in faithful love—even when it means speaking hard truths—we demonstrate to the world that we follow the God who loved us so much, He gave Himself for us. And that is a powerful thing.

What about you? Which side of the “if” will you live in today?

“This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12