In Geometry class one of the challenges and joys I have is to try to communicate what conditional statements are and their importance and relevance to our lives. The Bible is no alien to conditional statements. To read any part of the Holy Scriptures is to read a body of conditional statements that reveal who He is in His person, and what He has done through His Son Jesus Christ.
A conditional statement must contain two parts. The hypothesis, and the conclusion. The hypothesis is where we begin. We read it and assume it to be true so that we can see the conclusion in a more clear light. The conclusion is the water that springs up out of the hypothesis. It is the result. Let's take a look at one of the many relevant conditional statements that Jesus Himself gives to us in the gospel of John in chapter 14 verse five.
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15
The hypothesis is: "you love me". The hypothesis follows the word 'if'.
The conclusion is: "you will keep my commandments". Usually the conclusion follows the word 'then', and in this verse it is no violation of the text to say, "If you love me, then you will keep my commandments." So what is Jesus saying? Perhaps this would be a good point to turn to John 21.
In the gospel of John in the 21st chapter and the 15th verse we find Jesus tenderly confronting Peter. The same Peter who denied Him three times. How does the Lord restore and call back a disciple who has fallen? By asking one question. Three times. "Peter, do you love me?" When Jesus asks the question, He uses the root word ἀγαπάω (a-gap-a-oh), which means the unconditional love that God Himself has. When Peter responds, however, he responds with, 'Yes Lord, you know I φιλέω (phil-e-oh) you.' This is the word for friendship. Dear, close friendship, but not the unconditional love of God.
Two times Jesus uses the root ἀγαπάω. But then, on the third time, Jesus says, 'Peter, do you φιλέω me? Do you even like me a lot?'. This breaks Peter's heart because Jesus even questions the love that Peter thought he could get away with. Peter calls out to Jesus, "Lord you know all things! You know I φιλέω you." Peter calls upon the omniscience of the Lord. "Lord you know all things!" How does this apply to us? How does this apply to me and you and our students?
When Jesus says, "if you love me..." understand that Jesus isn't asking us for a perfect love. He wants a genuine love. As broken as it may be, is the love we have for Him genuine? Therefore, if we have that type of love. Genuine love. Then a genuine love will result somehow, some way, in genuine obedience. We will, at some level, and it may be a small and broken level; but at some level we will long to obey His commands, and His commands will become more and more precious to us as we get to know Him and His love for us more deeply. And His commands are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3.
Conditional Statements are important. God uses them. And what God uses, He uses for a purpose and for a reason.
If you are interested, you are invited to dig even deeper into what Jesus was doing to help Peter in the following sermon: 'Peter, do you love me?'
John Partridge
September 26th 2020
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