John 14:21

Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to His disciples during the upper-room discourse, the evening before His crucifixion, answering Thomas's question about the way to the Father (John 14:5).

The words — ἔχων (echōn, "having") and τηρῶν (tērōn, "keeping") are both present participles, marking continuous, ongoing possession and observance rather than a single act.

The thread — John 14:15 states the same link in reverse (love → keep), and 1 John 5:3 and 1 John 2:5 both equate keeping God's commandments with the evidence of genuine love for Him.

Why it lands — The verse makes love a testable claim: it is verified by obedience, and its stated reward is not comfort or prosperity but the direct self-revelation of Christ to the individual.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Cross-references

John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,
1 John 2:5 But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:
2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.
John 15:9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
John 16:27 For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.
Deuteronomy 11:13 So if you carefully obey the commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Luke 11:28 But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.