“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching.’” — John 14:23–24
In the previous study, A Disciple is a Servant, we saw how serving others is one of the clearest ways to express our love for Christ. Yet love for Jesus is not only measured by how we treat others, it is revealed in how we respond to Him. Jesus made this connection when He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” True obedience flows not from fear or duty, but from affection. In this lesson, we’ll see how obedience becomes the natural language of love and the pathway to deeper fellowship with God
When Jesus spoke these words, He was just hours away from His arrest and crucifixion. Yet His concern was not for Himself but for His followers: for their hearts, their faith, and their future walk with Him. In this passage Jesus is teaching the essence of our relationship with God. It is a bond that is built on love, expressed through obedience, and sustained by the presence of God. Jesus did not present obedience as a burdensome duty, but as the natural overflow of our love for him. To love Him is to obey Him.
In this world, the thought of equating obedience and love together is not a concept that resonates with modern thinking. But if we truly understand who God is and how much his thoughts and wisdom infinitely surpasses our own, then we can rely on His promise in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Obedience is merely trusting that God knows best, following His plan.
Obedience Flows from Relationship – Not Rules
In Jesus’ culture and day, obedience was primarily associated with keeping the Law. The Pharisees had turned it into a system of external performance, measured by their actions, not by their heart. But Jesus reframed obedience as something far deeper and more relational. He said, “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching.”
This one small phrase changes everything. Obedience is no longer about earning God’s approval, it’s how we show that we already belong to Him. It’s not legalism; it’s love responding to love. When we truly love Jesus, obedience ceases to feel like obligation and begins to feel like devotion.
In our lives, think about how love transforms our actions. When we love someone deeply, we naturally want to please them. You listen to their voice. You value their perspective. You put aside your own comfort for their good. In the same way, the disciple who loves Jesus cannot remain indifferent to His commands. Love compels obedience.
This is why Jesus equates obedience directly to intimacy with God: “My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.” Obedience opens the door to deeper fellowship with Jesus. It’s not the price of God’s presence; it’s the pathway into it.
Obedience is How we Show our Love for Christ
Love for Christ is not proven by our words, emotions, or good intentions. It is revealed in obedience. Jesus did not say, “If you love Me, tell Me.” He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Love that does not lead to obedience is sentiment, not surrender.
In Scripture, love and obedience are inseparable. The Greek word for love used here, agapao, speaks of active, self-giving love, not just an emotional love. To love Jesus means to align our will with His. It means that our choices, priorities, and actions are guided by His Word.
This is a love that costs something. It may cost our pride when we forgive. It may cost our comfort when we serve. It may cost our reputation when we stand for truth. But obedience born out of love is always worth the cost, because it pleases the One who first loved us.
Consider Peter’s story. After his denial of Christ, Jesus restored him not by questioning his courage, but by asking, “Do you love Me?” Three times, Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Each time, Jesus answered, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–17). As we understand the rest of Peter’s life – he obeyed. Love for Christ always leads to obedient action. If we say we love Him, we will care for what He cares about and do what He commands.
Obedience Empowered by the Holy Spirit
Jesus never expected His disciples to obey in their own strength. In the same conversation, He promised to give them the Holy Spirit, who would live within them and remind them of everything He had said (John 14:26). Obedience is possible only because God empowers us to do what He commands.
The Holy Spirit transforms obedience from something external into something internal. He changes our desires, renews our minds, and gives us both the will and the power to please God (Phil 2:13). The Spirit leads us away from self-centered living and draws us into Christ-centered obedience.
When we yield to the Spirit, obedience becomes an act of partnership, not performance. We no longer strive to please God through our willpower; but yield to the Holy Spirit who. When temptations arrive, the Spirit whispers truth to us to avoid that path. And when obedience is costly, he comforts us and helps us through tough times. And if we stray, He draws us back and teaches us forgiveness.
Obedience through the Spirit is not forced; it is free. It comes from a heart that delights in God’s will, echoing Jesus’ own words: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 4:34).
The Blessing and Warning of Obedience
Jesus’ words also contain both a promise and a warning. The promise: “We will come to them and make Our home with them.” The warning: “Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching.”
The promise is profound; God Himself dwells with the obedient heart. The presence of Christ is not found in being religious, but by living a surrendered life. Every step of obedience creates space for His presence, peace, and power.
But the warning is equally real. Disobedience distances us from God’s fellowship. It doesn’t change His love for us, but our disobedience gravely affects our intimacy with Him. When we persist in disobedience, we silence, or quench, His voice and harden our hearts. Yet, He still is calling us back to Him. And when we respond and repent, his grace restores our relationship.
What this means for a Disciple Today
For the disciple, obedience remains the unmistakable mark of our love for Him. In an age that values going your own way and independence, obedience to Christ seems very restrictive. But in reality, it is the path to freedom. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Freedom is not found in doing whatever we want, but in doing what we were made for – loving and obeying God.
Every day presents moments for us to obey, forgiving someone who hurt us, serving someone in need, and peaking truth in love. These moments may seem small, but each one is an opportunity to say, “I love You, Lord.”
As disciples, we must remember that obedience is not perfection but direction. It’s about daily alignment with God’s way, choosing, again and again, to walk in His path. And when we stumble, His grace lifts us up, reminding us that the same Jesus who calls us to obey also gives us the strength to do it.
Love proves itself in obedience. Obedience deepens our love. And together, they create the heartbeat of a true disciple, living an intimate, joyful, Spirit-filled life walking in step with the Savior.
Genuine obedience cannot remain hidden; it will always show itself in loyalty and courage. As love compels us to serve and obey, it also calls us to stand boldly with the One we follow. The disciple who walks in obedience will inevitably face moments of testing, moments when faith must be confessed openly before others. In the next study, A Disciple is Not Ashamed of Jesus, we will explore what it means to live unashamed of Jesus, even in a world that rejects Him.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Why does Jesus link obedience so closely with love for Him?
How does this differ from obeying out of fear or mere duty?
What does obedience reveal about the condition of our hearts and our relationship with Christ?
In what areas of your life is obedience to God the most challenging right now?
Why do you think you struggle? What steps can help you surrender these areas fully to Him?
Read Matthew 7:24–27.
How does Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders illustrate the importance of obeying His Word?
Obedience is often tested in small, hidden ways.
How can faithfulness in little things prepare us for greater responsibility and blessing?
How does the Holy Spirit empower believers to walk in obedience rather than in their own strength?
How do you interact with the Holy Spirit in your walk?
What might change in your daily life if your first question each day became, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Consider the 30-day test. Commit to ask this of the Lord, and see how it affects your life.
My name is Michael Adkins. For several decades I’ve been studying Scripture, developing discipleship resources, and teaching others how to walk more closely with Christ. Currently, I serve as the Discipleship Pathway Leader at Riverside International Church in Cascais, Portugal, where my passion is helping believers grow into mature disciples who live out their faith in everyday life.