What Commands Do Christians Have to Obey?

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Some scholars state that there are over 613 commandments in the Old Testament¹ and 1,050 commandments in the New Testament². The exact number is difficult to determine, but what is clear is that there are a lot of commandments in the Bible. In John 14:15, Jesus says “If you love me you will obey what I command,” so it is essential for followers of Jesus Christ to obey the commandments found in the holy scriptures. It can be a bit overwhelming to track obedience in over a thousand commandments, so this article will help in bringing to light the key commandments that believers must obey.

The Greatest Commandment in the Bible

There is no place better to start in the long list of commands than with the most important commandment of them all. We are very blessed to have the story of an expert in the law asking Jesus the question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:

“‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
–Matt 22:37-40

Jesus summarized all of those more than 613 commandments found in the Old Testament into just two simple and straight forward laws:

These two commands should be our guidelines for how we make decisions that are in line with the Word of God. If you are not sure if doing something is right or wrong, ask yourself: If I do this, am I loving God by doing it? And then: If I do this, am I loving my neighbor by doing it?

Now that we have covered the most important commandments, let us take a look at which commandment appears in the Bible more often than any other command.

The Most Repeated Commandment in the Bible

As you read the Old Testament and the New Testament, you will read a commandment that appears over and over more than any other commandment by far.³ It is…..

Do not fear!

While repetition does not always imply importance, it certainly does in the Bible.⁴ This command is something that God wants all his people to know very clearly. Fear is something that we face on a daily basis, whether it be fear of death, relationships, finances, etc. We are prone to forget the sovereignty of God over all things, no matter how small. It is because of this that we see this command repeated so often in the scriptures. God wants us not to fear, not to worry, not to doubt, but to trust in him.

The 7 Basic Commands of Jesus⁵

Now that we have covered the most important command and the most frequent command, we can move on to the commands that are essential to be a follower of Jesus Christ. There are many other important commands and we are called to obey all of the commands of Christ, but this is a short list of essential commands that are key things that all believers do.

The 7 basic commands are:

The Final Command of Christ on Earth

In 1 John 2:3 the Apostle John states to believers: “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” To know Christ is to keep his commandments. The commandments listed above should help you in remaining obedient to Christ in your daily life. If you do notice something from the above that is missing in your life, reach out to a fellow believer or someone who is discipling you and ask them for help. There is no shame in asking for help in following Christ. As Jesus says: do not fear.

Be encouraged and receive the final command that Christ gave before his ascension.

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20)

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