Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

God's commands have not changed. As Jesus noted in Matthew 22:37-38, they can be summarized as, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.", and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

However, what HAS changed as a result of Christ's saving work is that perfect obedience to these commands (of which no sinful human is capable, which is what would make them "burdensome") is no longer the requirement or condition that God sets in order for an individual to be granted eternal life.

Instead, after we have already received eternal life (through faith in Christ's perfect obedience to the Law, His sacrificial death on our behalf, and His subsequent resurrection, rather than through a futile effort to be acceptable to God through our own imperfect righteousness), our obedience to these commandments can then proceed out of joy, thankfulness, and (as 1 John 5:3 noted) love for God, rather than out of a fear of punishment.

The believer is also now aided in this effort by having God Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, dwelling within him, which further lifts the "burden" of obedience, since the believer is not dependent solely on his own strength in his pursuit of righteousness.

And, to lift the "burden" even more, although the believer's obedience will always remain imperfect in this life, we have the assurance that God has forgiven us and will forgive us for Jesus' sake, if we acknowledge our failings and seek that forgiveness.

May 14 2015 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Idorenyin Etuk Supporter

Let's please read 1 John 3:21-24. I believe this gives us the answer we are looking for. God wants us to believe in His Son Jesus, and to love one another. This is the true New Testament command for all humans.

September 18 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ken van Zyl Supporter Born-again Baptist sibce 1965

John 15:10 "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." Jesus new commandment to us is in John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 
To encapsulate, by keeping these two commandments, you are practically obeying nine commandments, the exception being the keeping of Saturday.

May 14 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

B H Bell Supporter

The reason I asked the above question about God's commands mentioned in 1 John 5:3 is because when Jesus was teaching prior to his death on the cross, he was still and Old Testament (Old Covenant) teacher and he was teaching to the Israelites who were also Old Testament (Old Covenant) Jews. As such, all of the commands Jesus taught during his life on earth were based on the law, which was never given to Gentiles.

Though it is true that the book of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, the New Covenant didn’t actually become valid until Jesus died on the cross when he said, “It is finished.” He meant that The Old Covenant (Testament) was finished, and only then did the New Testament (Covenant) become valid.

So, just to be clear, it is my understanding that Jesus’ teaching in the above-mentioned verses of New Testament scripture in Matthew 22:37-38 and John 13:34-35 were not spoken to Gentiles and don’t apply to Christians who are under Grace, and not under the law.

May 14 2015 • 5 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Bill Gillan Supporter Father of 4 and have an amazing wife

It's all about love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and Soul love your neighbour as you love yourself" 

In Galatians 5: 13-14 we find Paul stating that we have been given freedom and use it to serve one another in love and the whole law can be summed up in this one command "Love your neighbour as you love yourself" We know that Jesus fulfilled the whole law so he must be telling us it's all about love.

When our Father created us it was not for fun. It was to have a loving relationship with us, we are the apple of his eye. If you look at the 10 commandments 1-4 is about loving God & 5-10 about loving others.

That being the case when we love the Lord our God with all our soul then 5-10 will lead us to love our neighbour.

We are told that we love because he first loved us. And I totally agree with all off the above posts all very well said.

I would just like to add that unless we know that our Father loves us then we will find it very difficult to fulfil these two commandments Jesus gave. 

In John 17:23 Jesus says "That they know that you love them as much as you love me" That is mind blowing. Our Father our creator loves us as much as he loves Jesus, he himself who died for us, God himself who so much loves us that who so over believes in him will be saved. That's all that's we have to do.

How can we not love him back? All we can do is love him back and in doing so we are following Jesus.

May 14 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

Although the Bible speaks of many covenants (Romans 9:4; Galatians 4:24), there is only one basic covenant, the covenant of grace, in which God bestows salvation upon fallen beings who claim it by faith. The idea of plural covenants arises from the various ways God has restated the essential covenant promise in order to meet His people in different times and circumstances.

But whether the covenant (Genesis. 3:15; Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:6-9; Exodus 20:2; Ezekiel 37:24-27), or the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33), the idea remain the same: God's salvation is a free, unmerited and undeserved gift, and the humanity's part in this covenant is faithfulness and obedience (Leviticus 26:3-4; Proverbs 7:2; John 14:15; John 15:10).

Throughout the entire Bible, God is the same, HE never changes (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). God does not differentiate between nations; He did not saved Jews any differently than He saves Gentiles (Acts 10:34; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13). OT people were saved the same way we are being saved today: through Abraham's seed, meaning Jesus (Galatians 3:16). We, by faith in Christ, can also became part of Abraham's seed, (Galatians 3:29). 

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted as righteousness (Galatians 3:6). Abraham was no more saved by works than the thief on the cross; it was and is God's saving grace that brings salvation. Abraham's works did not and could not justify him; however, his works showed that he was justified (Rom. 4:1-3).

But what are these commandments that God wants us to keep? The answer is “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Then, if we love the Lord, we should have no other gods (Exodus 20:3), should not make graven images (Exodus 20:4-6), should not take the Lord's name in vain (Exodus 20:7), remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Exodus 20: 8-11), honor our parents (Exodus 20:12), not murder (Exodus 20:13), not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14); not steal (Exodus 20:15), not give false testimony (Exodus 20:16), and not covet (Exodus 20:17). By obeying the the first four commandants we show our love for the Lord, while the last six is a direct testimony of our love our neighbor. 

Is this legalism? Would be hard to imagine how any person saved by Christ's sacrifice on the cross would deliberately and stubbornly break his covenant with God claiming that now we are under grace and the law matter no more (Hebrews 10:26-31).

December 11 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report