What does John 13:35 mean?

John reiterates this idea in his first letter (1 John 3:14; 4:20). Jesus sets love as the primary outward sign of a person's Christian faith. He is especially referring to love between those who claim to be His followers. Earlier in the evening, Jesus humbly washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:2–5). He explained that this was an example of service for them to follow (John 13:12–17). In the prior verse, Jesus indicated that this command to love falls under that same umbrella: we are to love as Jesus loved (1 John 3:16; Ephesians 5:25). This was phrased as a renewed, re-emphasized command stemming from those He had given before (Matthew 22:36–40).

No aspect of Christian faith can be dismissed, though some are more pressing than others . These include sound doctrine (Titus 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:3–5) and moral behavior (1 John 1:7; Colossians 3:1–10). But the gold standard for living out Christian belief, and the means by which believers are to distinguish themselves from non-believers, is expressed in this verse. As Paul expresses in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, nothing is commendable unless it is done out of love (1 Corinthians 13:1–3). Love must be pursued truthfully and with good judgment (Ephesians 4:15; John 7:24; 1 John 3:18), but it cannot be set aside under any circumstances.