What is a brand? Think about a “name brand” that you know and enjoy. What do you like about it? Are you aware that you have your own name brand?

A brand has at least two meanings, both applicable to our spiritual journey. First, it’s my image. What I represent and present to the world around me, through my image, my behavior, and ultimately my fruit. But it also has significance in who I belong to. Ownership, like a cattle brand. The name of the one who branded me, or to whom I belong and am submitted to (either by choice or by slavery).

When I die to myself, to my will, I am renouncing my own image and taking on the image of Jesus, who enables me to become one together with him, so that I am able to connect with the Father. His image becomes my image, his will becomes my will.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

– Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

A brand is more than just an image though. It is the fullness of your entity. When someone sees you, or hears your name, or thinks of you, what do they feel? What are they reminded of? It’s what your represent to them.

Christianity itself has lost it’s brand. It literally means “little Christ”, but in fact, when people think of Christianity, they think of many things; from “follower of Christ”, split denominations fighting over doctrine, abusing one another in our teachings, to christians being evil, greedy people who tolerate sin – from pornography, hollywood, lying, idolotry, etc, and spreading it from the “Christian” West to the nations of the world.

Evangelical salvation doctrine enables this by saying that what I believe personally is how I get saved. Leaving out the necessity of keeping the commandments of Jesus as evidence of being his disciple:

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1John 1:5-10

and

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

John 15:1-17

I’ve highlighted these verses, because they aren’t ambiguous at all. In context, it’s clear that Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi who is teaching and keeping the commandments of the Lord perfectly, expects his disciples to do the same.

³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:3-6

Making sure to put out any fires, I will point out that John 15:3 is clear that the keeping of his commandments is not in order to achieve righteousness, “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” Jesus establishes our righteousness by his word. However, he makes it clear that because we are clean in him, we must abide in him and keep his commandments in order to not be “taken away”. We cannot bear fruit unless we “abide in the vine”, and stronger still, “If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

But how do I abide in Him?? By going to church meetings? By reading the bible every day? By praying? All of these are good, but Jesus says: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”

So what are Jesus’ commandments? They are his Father’s commandments. One and the same. Jesus didn’t give us new commandments, but old ones!

⁷ Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 

1 John 2:7

Jesus taught us the true purpose of the commandments – and the early apostles and disciples made this purpose clear to us, which is that we would love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And to love our neighbor as ourselves. See what Jesus says about this in Matthew:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:36-40

So looking back, if I keep the commandments of God in order to look good, or to feel righteous, I will miss the mark. Rather, I keep them to love God and love my neighbor. In other words, the fruit of keeping the commandments is love. So how do you know if you are saved? The evidence is that you abide in His love, and you bear the fruit of His love – which is to love God and to love your neighbors!