<p>15:13 <em>Greater love has no one than this: That a man lay down his life for his friends</em>- This is a truth accepted in every human society, and many men have laid down their lives for their friends. What is unique about the Lord's love-unto-death was that He died for us whilst we were yet enemies, and not His friends (Rom. 5:8); He took the initiative in loving us through the death of the cross (1 Jn. 4:10,19). We only love, because He first loved us. As noted on 10:11, the Lord did not have His life taken from Him, He gave it of Himself, to the point of controlling the very period and moment at which He died, consciously out breathing His last spirit toward us. And so the Lord's &quot;greater love&quot; was in that He died for us whilst we were not actually His friends but enemies (Rom. 5:10 &quot;when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son&quot;). He <em>called us</em> friends; that is the huge force behind those words in :15. He took the initiative, calling us friends when we were enemies; and died for us. We show ourselves to be His friends by accepting His love, and living in that love toward others (:14).</p>