John 15:9 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 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.”
To “continue” in Christ’s “love” is to have a living communion with Him. But, in order to have a living communion with Him, we must first have union with Him. We have “union” with Him because, by His exclusive choice and act, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10). He didn’t say, continue to “love” me, for our “love” for Him is inherent with our union with Him; that is, “We love him, because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19). He didn’t say, if you obey me I will “continue” to “love” you, for nothing can separate us from God’s “love” for us (Romans 8:35-39). Our Lord makes it clear that continuing in His “love” is keeping His “commandments”; saying, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love”! Thus, continuing in His “love” connotes feeling and experiencing His blessed “love” for us; that is, experiencing a living communion with Him. Our great adversary, the tempter, is constantly trying to entice us, distract us, discourage us, and confuse us; all to interrupt our communion with our Lord. We rebuff and defeat our adversary’s assaults upon us by obediently “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Like Peter, when we take our eyes off the Lord, we begin to sink; in our case, sink in the myriad troubles and trials and temptations in the world around us (Matthew 14:26-33). But, also like Peter, when we look again unto our loving Master, he compassionately reaches down and lifts us up out of our troubles and comforts us with His Holy Presence! To “keep” His “commandments” is to regularly attend and participate in His Church (Hebrews 10:25), to read and learn His Word, and to lovingly and worshipfully adhere ourselves to His Word. Thus, we “continue” in His “love”!