Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). How can you tell if someone loves Christ? Jesus said you can tell if a person loves Him if they are keeping His commandments. But, what does it mean to "keep His commandments?"
Whenever I read this verse in the past, I always thought that "keeping" His commandments meant that we would be "obeying" His commandments. Although, it does include obeying, it is so much more than just obeying His commandments. "Keeping" something also means to hold on to something, to keep it in our possession. But, again, it means more than this.
Notice, that the word in this verse is "keep" not "obey" or to "possess." The Greek word used for "keep" is "tereo" which means to watch over, guard, one who defends and protects something. In the Spanish Bible, they translated "tereo" as their Spanish word "guardad" which is in English of course is "guard." So, the word "keep" ("tereo) means to guard something. Throughout time, "keep" was often used in a military sense such as a "keep of a castle," which was a fortified tower to watch over and protect the castle.
So, when Jesus says if we love Him, we need to "keep" or guard His commandments. This means we are to watch over, to guard, and if need be, to protect and defend His commandments. It's what guards do.
Is it possible to obey His commandments, and not guard, protect, and defend them? Yes, people do it all the time by being silent, not speaking up and defending God's Word. But, Jesus said if we love Him, we would guard His Word. So, it's much more than just obeying His Word, but also guarding it, and if necessary, defend it.
There are many supporting examples of this word "keep" in the Bible, such as in Titus 2:5, speaking of the virtuous Christian wife, "To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands......." Again, in the past, I misunderstood this verse thinking "keepers at home" meant she had to stay at home. Again, it may include that to some degree, but again, it means much more than that. It's the very same Greek word "tereo." So, the verse is saying that for her to be a "keeper of the home," she is watching over, guarding, protecting and if it comes down to it, to defend it. She is to know what is coming into the home and to protect the home and the children from evil. Now, I have seen cases where wives had to work some in order to help their husbands support the family. But, if you believe "keeping at home" means "staying at home," then she would be violating this verse if she should work at all outside the home. However, in my view, if she works while the kids are in school, she can still be guarding and protecting the home when the kids are there. She is the keep of the castle. The home may be the husbands castle, but she needs to be the castle's keep, the last line of defense for those children whom the enemy wishes to destroy.
So, "keeping His commandments" means much more than just obeying His commandments or to possess them. We are to guard and protect them. Don't remain silent, but speak up. Defend the Lord's honor. Defend His Word. You will have no problem doing that..... that is, if you love Him. You won't be able to remain silent when someone is attacking His Word.
By the way, there seems to me that there is another big difference between "obeying" His commandments and "keeping" His commandments. "Obeying" His commandments seems to be focused on me as an individual whether I obey or disobey God's Word. I could be living on an uninhabited island and still obey God's commandments. However, this is different when "keeping" or guarding and defending His commandments. This implies that there would have to be others on the island for me to watch, guard, protect, and defend His commandments. How can I guard and protect something when there is nobody there but me? So, I believe that when Jesus says, "If you love me, KEEP my commandments," this means we do so when interacting with other people. We are to be that fortified castle keep guarding the castle, or in this case, guarding His Word.
Paul was a soldier and fighter for the Lord Jesus and His Word. Paul said, "knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel" (Phil 1:17). Paul was also a defender of the faith, "Fight the good fight of faith" (1Tim 6:12); and in 2Tim 4:7, he said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." Notice, Paul says, "I have KEPT the faith." There's that word "tereo" again. Paul didn't just "keep" the faith as in he hadn't lost it, but no, much more than that, he had watched over, guarded, protected, and defended the faith. Paul was a castle keep for the Christian faith. The last lines of defense when is was necessary.
When Paul visited the Galatians, he had to confront Peter face to face, because the Jewish Christians were separating from the Gentile Christians during a visit of Jewish leaders from Jerusalem. Paul could not remain silent, but had to speak up and defend the truth of the Gospel that there was no difference now between Jew and Gentile. Paul not only spoke up, but rebuked Peter before everyone (Galatians 2).
The following verses uses "tereo," for "keep" which means to "guard."
Assurance:
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1John 2:3). We can have assurance of our salvation if it is evidenced by our desire to guard and defend His Word.
Answered Prayers
"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight (1John 3:22). If we guard and defend His commandments, then we will receive of Him, He will answer our prayers.
Evidence that We Love Other Christians
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments" (1John 5:2). A person that guards and defends God's Word will also love other Christians.
Evidence that We Love God
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (1John 5:3).
Evidence that We Love Jesus
Joh 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John14:15);
That Jesus Loves Us
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10). Jesus kept, guarded and protected His Father's commandments. So, should we, and when we do, we abide in His love.
We Will Have Fellowship With the Father and the Son
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23).
"If a man love me, he will keep my words:" How about you? Are you "keeping" His Words? If you still think that "keep" only means to obey, then you are short changing yourself. You have been misled to not see the deeper meaning of this command. Yes, it implies that we are to obey, for a guard must also be obedient. But, the word is much more than just obedience. You must see this or you will miss out on any of the verses that uses "tereo."
When the king commands you to go into the castle keep, then if you go, yes you are obeying the kings command. But, the question is, are you just obeying the command, or are you also going to guard and defend that castle? You could just go up there and take a nap when the enemy comes.
"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand" (Eze 33:6).
Sounds pretty serious. Likewise, it's serious for us as guards, watchmen, or keepers to not sound the alarm and speak up and defend God's Word when it is being attacked.
KJV ONLY
When speaking of guarding and protecting God's Word, we cannot ignore the issue of Bible translations today. Now, I will give my personal view, because I don't see any Scripture concerning translating the Word of God from one language to another. I believe we as Christians must be good stewards of God's Word and choose the best translation as we see it. There are dozens of English translations out there ranging from very good to terrible in how they were translated from the Greek.
I have always used the KJV translation because I believe it to be one of the best and feel the most comfortable with it. I like the NKJV, but again I am not comfortable with it, because all the verses I've memorized are from the KJV. However, I believe there are several translations like the NIV that I am skeptical of, and I believe they are at the end of the translation totem pole.
So, I love and use the KJV because of personal preference, not conviction. Unlike the KJV Only crowd, I don't believe the KJV was inspired in it's translation in 1611, and all other translations are of the devil. I was caught up in that movement in the 1980's through the mid 90's. I even had a phone number that was 1-800-KJV-ONLY. But, I thank the Lord that I was able to see the truth and get out of what I view as cultish.
The KJV Only crowd claims to be guardians, defenders, and protectors of God's Word. Again, I was in this Independent Baptist group for 15 years or more, and I was zealous in this doctrine. In almost all meetings, there would be some mention of the KJV being God's only Word. It was drilled into our minds.
In 1995, when I did a study on the New Testament church, God led me to see that I was in something wrong, so I left the Baptist name and wanted to meet in Jesus Name alone, and to observe New Testament principles for the church. I found some people that did this, so we joined in fellowship with them. I noticed that most of them used the NKJV and some the KJV. I questioned them about this, and began to study the subject, and concluded that the KJV Only group was wrong in what they were doing. So, I had a quick turn around. The KJV became a preference to me rather than a conviction. Convictions must come from the Word of God and I didn't see any Scripture concerning translations of His Word. Again, use common sense and select the one most accurate.
When I was in the KJV Only crowd, it was really stressed that we were not to correct the KJV with the Greek. That anyone who goes to the Greek was trying to correct God's Word, the KJV. They believe the 1611 translators were inspired by God to protect His Word, which God did only once, and that was with the KJV translation. Since they believed the KJV was inspired, any new translations even in other languages should be translated from the KJV, not the Greek, because the KJV was more accurate and blessed by God. In other words, since there were variations in the different Greek manuscripts, God sorted it all out in 1611 by inspiring the KJV.
So, to them, the KJV is the only Word of God. All other translations including the Greek were not of God, but inspired and tainted by the devil as part of an evil conspiracy to destroy God's Word. Furthermore, I began to see that they were using the KJV like a good luck charm. As long as someone uses the KJV, then God will automatically bless them, good things will happen, and if they didn't use it, then He would curse them, bad things would happen, and they would be punished in someway. That was the thinking, and it was a type of bondage.
Having said all of this, my conviction is to protect the Word of God, not the KJV translation. I have seen very little difference in the translation from the Greek to English between the KJV, the NKJV, and the Darby translations. For the most part, the NKJV and the Darby just cleans up the colloquialism of the KJV which is a dynamic translation using poetic colorful expressions rather than a literal word to word translation.
For example, in the KJV, it says, "The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth" (Mat 27:44). This is an example of a dynamic translation of the verse rather than a word to word translation. In the Greek, you will not find the words that mean "cast" or "teeth." They are not there. But, you do find the Greek word meaning to "revile" or to criticize. However, I don't have a problem with that because I know that "cast the same in his teeth" was a phrase used in that day to refer to a person reviling or criticizing someone, so the truth of the verse is the same.
Another good example is the word "conversation." In the KJV you find the context clearly shows it means a person's behavior. Today, we would say a conversation is one person speaking to another person, but in 1611, the word "conversation" meant behavior or conduct. The NKJV uses the word "conduct" in these verses. But, that doesn't mean the KJV is wrong. It's just that the meaning of the word has changed over the years, and we call that a semantic change. As long as you know this, then it's fine.
Even though the KJV is my favorite translation, I probably would not give it to a new convert. I would either give them the NKJV or the Darby because it would be easier for them to understand.
Now, there may be other translations that are reliable, but I list these because I am more familiar with them.
So, the KJV Only crowd is wrong when they say they are guarding and defending the Word of God. We are to guard and defend the truth from the Word rather than defending this KJV Only doctrine.
After getting out of the KJV Only crowd, I once told a KJV Only friend of mine, "I would rather fellowship with a Christian that uses the NIV (the worst in my view) and does what it says, than a KJV Only Christian that doesn't do what it says." He said that he does do what it says. I asked him about Jesus asking us to remember Him in the breaking of bread, the Lord's Supper. He said, "we do." I informed him that Jesus said, "this do," that it was a command, and as as often as you do this, you show the Lord's death till he comes. I emphasized the words "as often as you do this" and that in Acts 20, the believers broke bread each Lord's Day. I asked him when was the last time they had the Lord's Supper in his church. He thought for awhile and figured it was about 7 years from that time. I was stunned. Now, I ask you, is that obeying God's Word?
I could go on with several other examples in how the KJV Only crowd doesn't do what the Bible says, especially in church practice, but they still claim to be defenders of God's Word, the KJV Bible. How can you be a guardian and a defender of the Word and not do what it says? I just don't get it. Well, really I do. But, that's for another article, I suppose. But, the main point here is that we are to first be obedient to the Word, understand what it teaches, and then stand upon it, and guard and defend it among those who don't. Like Davy Crockett, who said, "Be sure you are right, then go ahead." We must be sure we are right in what we believe, then guard and defend the truth.
IN CLOSING
We are soldiers for Christ. "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2Tim 2:3). As a soldier, we are to put up a good fight. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept (guarded) the faith" (2Tim 4:7).
But, even though we are the Lord's soldiers, and must fight for the truth of God's Word, this is not a knock down, drug out brawl. We must not fight or strive against others. We are fighting for the truth, for the faith, for the Gospel. We are not fighting against people. We're fighting against evil doctrines (Eph 6:12). We must show forth a good testimony for the Lord. Just tell the truth in as nice way, but stand firm, and be prepared to take what they dish out. It is not personal although they might take it that way.
"And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient" (2Tim 2:24).
"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2Tim 2:25, 26).
So, in guarding the truth and defending it, we must not strive, but be gentile and show meekness, which is power under control. We must be in control, keep ourselves under control. If we show any anger, then we have already lost that battle.
Now, I know that John the Baptist and even Jesus called the Pharisees snakes and hypocrites, but we are not speaking about lost religious people, but those that truly show evidence of being Christians, that have a good testimony of salvation, but are caught up in error. I believe this would also apply to giving the gospel to lost people. But, if you want to use those terms, then make sure it is aimed toward a hard headed religious leader that won't listen or be open to the truth. Jesus even showed some anger when turning over the tables in the Temple, but remember, He wasn't angry for Himself, but was angry on God's behalf. Therefore, if you can tell they are not open to the truth, I don't think it wrong to show a little controlled anger when confronting or being confronted by these hypocrite leaders spreading their evil doctrines (Eph 4:25, 26).
I hope this exercise has helped you see that you have a greater responsibility in keeping the Lord's commandments. Not just to obey them, but we are to guard them, protect them, and if need be, to defend them. He has entrusted us with His Word, and He wants us to love and stand up for it. Being silent is not a good option, which only reveals that we don't love Him like we should. "If you love me, keep (guard) my commandments." So, in a way, we are like security guards for His Word. Or, like a soldier that will fight the good fight to protect those whom he loves.
In Jesus Name,
James B. Sparks
jb5sparks@aol.com
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