The purpose of this study was to investigate the meanings and functions of "Love One Another," a new commandment granted to the Johannine Community. For that purpose, the study chose a sociological approach. Keeping in mind that the Gospel according to St. John contained the stories of Jesus but was not written in his times, the investigator focused on the influences of life places and periodic backgrounds of the Community on the meanings and functions of the commandment. The investigator examined the circumstances of the Community and the symbolicity of metaphors in the Gospel according to St. John with a focus on Chapter 15 and sorted out the meanings and functions of the commandment based on the findings as follows:
First, the commandment of "Love One Another" was granted to those who had close relations with Jesus. The Johannine Community believed in Jesus and stated that the commandment granted to them living within Jesus was "Love One Another" through the metaphor of grape tree.
Second, the commandment of "Love One Another" reinforced the internal solidarity of the Community, which was in a conflicting situation. Faced by the threat of excommunication and death, the internal members of the Community were filled with anxiety and fear. Reinforcing the solidarity of the Community, "Love One Another" was intended to prevent the division of the Community.
Third, the love meant by the commandment was high-order love. Based on the sacrificial love of Jesus, the high-order love for one another represented a sacrificial method to keep the faith of the Community.
Finally, the commandment revealed the identity of the Community, which was a community of faith that reinforced its identity rather than accepting and getting frustrated with the situations of the times, which was shown through the concepts of branches with fruits and friends in Chapter 15.
Those findings indicate that "Love One Another" granted to the Johannine Community was an important commandment to show their life places and determination of faith. It is also clear that the commandment was a new one to reinforce the solidarity and identity of the Community.