Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him…” (John 14:21). He also said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…” (John 15:10). Plain talk. Hard to swallow, maybe, but not hard to understand. Simply put, love and obedience are inextricably linked, each following on the heels of the other. According to Jesus, to love Him is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to be loved by Him.
Author: John Morris
The word of God teems with imagery. From Pharoah and Nebuchadnezzar’s prophetic dreams, to Revelation’s well-known apocalyptic symbolism, to Jesus’ many memorable parables (“The kingdom of heaven is like…”), God employs imagery throughout Scripture to reveal His will. Speaking to the mind’s eye, the Bible’s imagery encourages us to first envision its truths that we might then be enlightened by them.
If someone were to ask you to explain how Noah and his family were saved from the flood’s destruction, what would you say? The answer may seem obvious, but what would your answer be? The Bible’s answer is instructive. By inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16), the apostle Peter wrote that Noah and his family were actually “saved through water” (1 Peter 3:20).