The Christian Essentials

Disciplwahip

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”.

Jesus was asked what then are those commandment…

 

 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

John also bring this up in his epistle…

◄ 1 John 5 ►
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1 Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above–spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves [a]the child born of Him. 2By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments. 3For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. 4For [b]everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world–our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].

With the 613 Commandments written in the Old Testament it is a powerful thing to think they can all be summed up in just two – loving God and loving each other.
But the Bible is a book about relationships:
First, our relationship with the Lord – because if that is in a right state then all else will fall into place.
Second, our relationship with our fellow man.
Thirdly, our relationship with Satan or evil.
Lastly, our relationship with ourselves, how we perceive ourselves in this world.
The Lord gave commandments on how we can improve our relationships with Him, our friends and family and ourselves and how to also resist temptation and evil from the enemy of our souls.
The commandments also give us God’s opinion on any topic,
 Topics like Holiness: for example-

Deuteronomy 23:14

Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.

We never want the Lord to turn away for us – so we create an environment where he is first comfortable, where he walks with us and talks with us.

 

1 Peter 1 ►
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So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit–steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14[Live] as obedient children [of God]; do not be conformed to the evil desires which governed you in your ignorance [before you knew the requirements and transforming power of the good news regarding salvation]. 15But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your conduct [be set apart from the world by your godly character and moral courage]; 16because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY (set apart), FOR I AM HOLY.”

The Lord has teaching and helps for all who want to worship him, for us now in the New Testament era- we look to the Old Testament to find the Lord’s opinion, his will and his teaching on topics and then filter it through the lens of  the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the early church there was a group of Jews who worshipped Christ and were saved but they still felt that the gentile’s who were saved should follow the 613 commandments of the Old testament for salvation, thankfully we have the full account of the meetings and letters that went out to the gentiles.
Here is the letter that was sent.

“The apostles and the brothers who are elders, to the brothers and sisters in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles: Greetings.

Since we have heard that some [p]of our number to whom we gave no instruction have confused you by their teaching, upsetting your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

 

So to the New Testament Christian – the commandments the Lord spoke of are simple…

The Commandments:

    1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
    2. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandment hang all the 613 commandments

The Essentials – Laid out by the Church:

That you abstain from:
      1. Things sacrificed to idols
      2. Blood
      3. Things strangled
      4. Acts of sexual immorality
So get the Lords opinion on many topics check out the 613 commandments and if you love him, honour him through obedience or as the Apostle Paul has written…

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)

 

Here is unique list of the 613 Old Testament Laws– find the why behind them and learn the opinion of the Lord.

the author has asked that we link to their page rather than copying and pasting- https://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm