Bible Strands
John 15:17
This is My command to you: Love one another.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples during his farewell discourse, immediately after appointing them to bear lasting fruit and promising answered prayer. He issues this instruction directly before warning them that the world will hate them because it hated him first.
The words — ἐντὲλλομαι (entellomai) means "I command," and ἀγαπᾶτε (agapate) means "you may love." Jesus explicitly states that he is commanding the disciples that they must love one another.
The thread — This directive runs through John 15:12, 1 John 3:14, and 1 Peter 2:17. Each passage explicitly ties mutual love to the identity and conduct of believers.
Why it lands — The text requires believers to actively love one another as a direct mandate. It frames Christian community as a non-negotiable response to Jesus' appointment and the world's opposition.
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
These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Cross-references
- John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
- 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.
- 1 Peter 2:17 Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.