SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS ANSWERED VERSE-BY-VERSE ON JOHN 14:15: "IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS"

John 14:15 (ESV)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Seventh-day Adventists Argument: 

"Christians who truly love Jesus as their Lord and Savior should obey the Ten Commandments. If you don't obey the Ten Commandments, it means you don't really love Jesus."

Answer:

Here are two reasons why using John 14:15 to argue that Christians must still adhere to the Ten Commandments is flawed according to the SDA perspective:

#1.) The term "commandments" that Jesus referred to in John 14:15 does not signify the "Ten Commandments," as indicated by the Greek word "entole."

A frequent issue with the interpretation of John 14:15 by SDAs is the out-of-context understanding of the passage. The primary mistake lies in their presumption that “commandments” in this verse refers exclusively to the ten commandments. This approach is indicative of eisegesis, where one’s own ideas are imposed onto the text, rather than exegesis, which involves deriving meaning directly from the text itself. Essentially, they employ proof-texting method to align the verse with their beliefs, suggesting it pertains to the ten commandments, which is a misrepresentation of the Scripture’s intent.

In the Greek text of John 14:15, Jesus says, “Ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτέ με, τὰς ἐντολὰς τὰς ἐμὰς τηρήσετε” (transliterated: “Ean agapate me, tas entolas tas emas tērēsete”). The word used for “commandments” here is “ἐντολὰς” (entolas) plural of entole, which does not specifically refer to the Ten Commandments. It simply means “commandments” or “instructions.” If the intent of Jesus in John 14:15 was to specifically refer to the Ten Commandments, the phrase “(Greek) deka rhemata” (ten sayings) could have been used. However, the term “entolas” (commandments) is employed, which is a broader term that can encompass a wide range of commandments or instructions, not limited to the Decalogue. The use of “entolas” suggests a focus on commandments given by Jesus rather than exclusively referencing the Ten Commandments. This distinction aligns with the broader context of Jesus’ teachings, which often expanded upon or went beyond the specifics of the Mosaic Law. Eerdman’s Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament clarifies that in John, the discussion is not centered on the Mosaic Law; rather, it pertains to the divine mandate received by Jesus from the Father and the particular directives He imparted to His followers.

"In contrast to the other NT writings, ἐντολή is never used in the Johannine literature of the Mosaic Torah. Instead, ἐντολή stands for the commission of the Father given to the Son (John 10:18; 12:49, 50; 15:10) and for Christ's commandment to his disciples (13:34; 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12)." [1]

These verses contain the commandments that Jesus gave his disciples based on the context:

John 13:34 (ESV) "A new commandment(Grk. entole) I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

John 14:15 (ESV) “If you love me, you will keep my commandments (Grk. entole)."

John 14:21 (ESV) "Whoever has my commandments (Grk. entole) and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

John 15:10 (ESV) "If you keep my commandments (Grk. entole) , you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments (Grk. entole) and abide in his love."

John 15:12 (ESV) “This is my commandment (Grk. entole), that you love one another as I have loved you."

Notice that not a single one of these verses mentions the Ten Commandments.

#2. ) According to the context, the “commandments” Jesus mentioned in John 14:15 are not the “Ten Commandments,” but rather the directive to “love one another as I have loved you.”

The only way to determine which commandment is Jesus talking about here is to consider reading the immediate context of John 14:15.

According to the SDAs scholarly reference, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology (page 477), the Gospel of John employs the term “entole” ten times within the immediate context spanning chapters 10 to 15. However, it does not specifically apply this term to the Ten Commandments. Instead, the closest commandment (entole) mentioned is the “new commandment”(John 13:34) given by Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you.” 

“Between chapters 10 and 15 John uses the word entolē, “command,” 10 times. Among these are the “new commandment” of John 13:34 and two references to keeping Christ’s plural commandments (John 14:15; 15:10). This section of the Gospel parallels to some extent the usage of entolē in the Epistles of John.”[2]

The teaching of Jesus, as it is understood by the disciples, is to "love one another as I have loved you" (13:34; 15:12; see also 1 John 4:21; 2 John 6). 

John 13:34 (ESV) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

John 15:12-14 (ESV) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you."

John 15:17 (ESV) "These things I command you, so that you will love one another."

According to 1 John 3:23 God's ἐντολή (entole = command) has a twofold meaning: faith in the Son, Jesus Christ, and mutual love.

1 John 3:23 (ESV) "And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."

While these chapters do not address the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teachings encompass various instructions and ethical principles. The emphasis lies on love, discipleship, and faithful living. The commandments of Jesus are the instructions that He has given us in the Gospels and the rest of the NT.

Thus, the Ten Commandments do not serve as the measure of our love for the Lord Jesus. Jesus himself stated that his true disciples are identified by their fulfillment of his "new commandment" to love one another.

John 13:34-35 (ESV) "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Footnote:

[1] Balz, Horst, and Gerhard Schneider, editors. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Vol. 1, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004.

[2] Raoul Dederen, Handbook of Seventh-Day Adventist Theology, Commentary Reference Series, electronic ed., (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2001), 12:477.