"Commandments
of Jesus"
The Commandments of Jesus must not be confused with the “Ten
Commandments” in the Old Testament.
Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments," (John
14:15, KJV).
As you study these commandments (orders) of Jesus it will become
evident that God is not only the God of Grace, He is also the God of
expectations.
Obeying the Commandments of Jesus will bring rewards. For
example, “Ye must be born again” (Jn 3:7), is considered to be one of
the Commandments of Jesus. Those who obey receive Eternal Life!
The Old Testament Commandments beautifully teach what God
considers to be sin, but they require perfection, and no person has ever been
perfect (good enough), so it can only bring condemnation.
However, Jesus, being the "Son of God" and therefore
perfect, could and did live up to the requirements of the Old Testament Law,
and by doing so was qualified to die in the place of all who would accept Him
as their Savior.
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
(Rom 8:1). Jesus paid it all!
"The Greatest Commandment"
Jesus was asked: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment
in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,"
(Matt 22:36-40, Amp).
"The Golden Rule"
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do
to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets," (Matt 7:12 NIV).
Although these Commandments of Jesus are not in numerical order as
are the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, most Bible Scholars agree that
they are most assuredly the Commandments of Jesus.
The
Commandments of Jesus From the Four Gospels
1. "When you stand praying, forgive"
"And when you stand
praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father
in heaven may forgive you your sins." But if you do not forgive, neither
will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins." (Mark 11:25-26 NIV)
2. "You must be
born again"
"You should not be
surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again." (John 3:7 KJV)
3. "Remain in Me
and I will remain in you"
When you ask Jesus into your
heart and He becomes your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit lives in you, and you
in Him. Here Jesus uses a grapevine to compare our relationship with Him.
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by
itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you
remain in me." ( John 15:4 NIV)
4. "Let your light
shine before men"
"You are the light of the
world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. " In the same way, let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in heaven," (Matt 5:14;16 NIV).
5. "Settle matters
quickly with your adversary"
"Settle matters quickly
with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with
him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand
you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison." (Matt 5:25
NIV)
6. "Get rid of
whatever causes you to sin"
"If your right eye causes
you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one
part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your
right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for
you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into
hell." (Matt 5:29-30 NIV)
7. "Do Not Swear at
All"
"But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for
it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by
thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your
communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh
of evil." (Matt 5: 34-37, KJV)
8. "Do Not Resist
an Evil Person"
(Turning the other cheek.)
"You have heard that it
was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an
evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other
also," (Matt 5:38-39 NIV).
9. "Giving More
than is Demanded"
(Going the extra mile)
"And if someone wants to
sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces
you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do
not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you," (Matt 5:40-42
NIV).
10. "Love Your
Enemies"
"You have heard that it
was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your
Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the unrighteous," (Matt 5:43-45 NIV).
11. "Give to Please
God, Not to be Seen"
"Be careful not to do your
'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will
have no reward from your Father in heaven," (Matt 6:1 NIV).
12. "Pray
Privately, Not to be Seen by Men"
"And when you pray, do not
be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on
the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words," (Matt
6:5-7 NIV)
13. "This, then, is how you should pray"
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as
it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from the evil one.'
For if you forgive men when
they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do
not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins," (Matt
6:9-15 NIV).
14. "Fast Without
Fanfare"
"When you fast, do not
look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men
they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in
full," (Matt 6:16 NIV).
15. "Do not Store
up Treasures on Earth"
"Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth
and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matt 6:19-21 NIV).
16. "Do not Worry about Your Needs"
"Therefore I tell you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap
or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not
much more valuable than they?" (Matt 6:25-26 NIV). Commandments of Jesus
17. "Do not Worry
about Tomorrow"
"Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own," (Matt 6:34 NIV).
18. "Place God
First"
"But seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you," (Matt 6:33 NIV).
19. "Do not
Judge"
"Do not judge, or you too
will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and
with the measure you use, it will be measured to you," (Matt 7:1-2 NIV).
20. "Guard what is Sacred"
"Do not give dogs what is
sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them
under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces," (Matt 7:6 NIV).
21. "Ask, Seek, and Knock"
"Ask and it will be given
to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you,"
(Matt 7:7 NIV).
22. "Care for Those
in Distress"
"Then the King will say to
those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me," (Matt 25:34-36 NIV).
23. "Enter Through the Narrow Gate"
"Enter through the narrow
gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and
many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it," (Matt 7:13-14 NIV).
24. "Watch out for false prophets"
"Watch out for false
prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious
wolves," (Matt 7:15 NIV).
25. "Exercise
Spiritual Power"
"He called his twelve
disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal
every disease and sickness," (Matt 10:1 NIV).
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have
leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give," (Matt
10:8 NIV)."
26. "Do not Despise Childlike Believers"
"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones.
For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in
heaven," (Matt 18:10 NIV). Commandments of Jesus
27. "Do not Exalt
Yourself"
"But you are not to be
called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do
not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in
heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the
Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself
will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted," (Matt
23:8-12 NIV).
28. "Settle
Disputes Between Believers in this Manner..."
"If your brother sins
against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he
listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take
one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the
testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it
to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you
would a pagan or a tax collector," (Matt 18:15-17 NIV).
29. "Do not Oppose Other Christian Groups"
"Teacher," said John,
"we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop,
because he was not one of us."
"Do not stop him,"
Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment
say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us," (Mark
9:38-40 NIV).
30. "Have Complete
Faith in God"
"Have faith in God,"
Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,
'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes
that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours," (Mark 11:22-24 NIV).
31. "Do as the Good
Samaritan Did"
"The expert in the law
replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, "Go and do
likewise," (Luke 10:30-37 NIV).
32. "Love One
Another"
(This commandment of Jesus
summarizes all the others.)
"My command is this: Love
each other as I have loved you," (John 15:12 KJV).
33. "Do this in
Remembrance of Me"
"And he took bread, gave
thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for
you; do this in remembrance of me."
"In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you,'"
(Luke 22:19-20 NIV).
34. "You Should
also Wash One Another's Feet"
"Now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet," (John
13:14 NIV).
35. "Be Merciful"
"Be merciful, just as your
Father is merciful," (Luke 6:36 NIV).
36. "Go and Make Disciples of All Nations, Baptizing
Them"
"Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age," (Matt 28:19-20 NIV).
37. "Obey What I Command"
"If you love me, you will
obey what I command," (John 14:15 NIV).
38. "You Must be Ready"
"You also must be ready,
because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him,"
(Luke 12:40 NIV). Commandments of Jesus
(Luke 12:40 NIV). Commandments of Jesus
