This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
What does John 15:12 mean?
Those whom God loves as a Father, may despise the hatred of all the world. As the Father loved Christ, who was most worthy, so he loved his disciples, who were unworthy.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside John 15:12-13 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 15:12
This is my commandment - The special law of Christianity, called hence "the new commandment." See the notes at John 13:34 . As I have loved you - That is, with the same tender affection, willing to endure trials, to practice self-denials, and, if need be, to lay down your lives for each other, 1 John 3:16 .
Key words
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This is my commandment, that ye love one another,.
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This is my commandment, that ye love one another,.
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The argument by which, and the manner in which, he presses it, is as before: as I have loved you; than which nothing can be more strong and forcible; see John 13:34 .
Context in John 15
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John 15 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as farewell discourse. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.