Jesus' Commandment: Believe, and Love One Another

"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." (1 John 3: 23)

The Ten Commandments were never meant to be kept.

No one can keep them:

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 19-20)

and

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" (Romans 5: 20)

Paul related the interminable struggle of trying to obey:

"7What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7: 7-12)

The law was actually meant exclusivelly for the Israelites, not only aware of God's standard, but of their need for God's graces in every aspect of their walk:

"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3: 22-25) 

 

Now, the whole law has been fulfilled by Jesus, when He died for us and as us at the Cross:

 

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5: 17)

 

His death is our death, and brings us out from under the law:

 

"4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7: 4-6)

 

So, we are no longer under the Covenant of Law, of the Ten Commandments, in fact 613 commandments.

 

We are under grace (Romans 6: 14), and the new commandments are "Believe on me; love one another":

 

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." (Romans 3: 31)

 

and

 

"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13: 10)

Today, Jesus' commandments to us are very simple: believe on me, and love one another.

This not a hard calling, for He already so loved us (1 John 4:9).