So exactly which commandments of the hundreds in the old and new are we asked to obey?
Matthew 5:19
"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven.
In particular, the ones about loving God and your neighbor.
Exod 20:2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Exod 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exod 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Exod 20:5 "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Lev 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
Mat 22:36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
Mat 22:37 And He said to him, "
'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
Mat 22:38
"This is the great and foremost commandment.
Mat 22:39
"The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Mat 22:40
"On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Mark 12:28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?"
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered,
"The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
Mark 12:30
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'
Mark 12:31
"The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:32 The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM;
Mark 12:33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF,
is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Mark 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.
Rom 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and
if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Jas 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well.
If we have the Spirit we will love our neighbors, where does it say this?
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the
flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Gal 5:18 But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
Gal 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Gal 5:25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
verses 22 and 23 above, do you think these are things we should practice on ourselves, or on our neighbors? (probably both)
If you are lead by the Spirit you already are loving your neighbor, not because it's a law. But because it's in your heart.
How do we love our neighbors?
1 Cor 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
1 Cor 13:5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
1 Cor 13:6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
1 Cor 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
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Most of the other commandments don't apply to the majority of us, we don't have fields of crops,
we don't have oxen. We don't have slaves (although we may have subordinate employees, whom we should love as our neighbors).
We don't sacrifice to priests anymore. (We have our own personal high-priest now, who put an end to sacrifices).