Only 2 Commandments – BT3:  New Covenant has NO old commandments – only 2 completely NEW ones

 

 

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See also:  Obedient Steps of Faith – BT20:  Faith and Love are the only 2 commandments integrally connected in the New Covenant

 

See also:  Logos Word of God – BT14:  The New Testament only has 2 commandments combined in 1

 

See also:  Logos Word of God – BT15:  The New Testament has only 1 commandment to the UNSAVED

 

See also:  Logos Word of God – BT16:  The New Testament has only 1 commandment to the SAVED

 

 

The Jewish rabbi teachers were great at constantly judging people for not keeping the OT’s 613 Laws and “binding” even more commandments on the backs of people as a “burden,” even more “burdensome” with their Oral Torah or “Traditions of the Elders/Fathers.”  However, they were terrible at “loosing/loosening” them by refusing to help people carry the “burdens” of the Law, forgiving people for there failure, or subtracting some of their “traditions of men.”  Many on the internet have added 1000s of NT commandments to the list!

 

However, Jesus wanted His disciples to be completely-different-in-kind.  He wanted them to simply follow His example of unconditional-love toward others, serving and forgiving others, which is a completely-different-in-kind kainos “NEW (a) commandment” than even the OT commandment to “love your neighbor just-as yourself” – see Logos Word of God – BT13.  The Hebrew for “neighbor” meant “fellow Jews,” which allowed them to hate Gentiles, their Roman enemies!  And if you are self-loathing, does that mean you can loathe others?  If you feel like committing suicide, should you help others do the same?  <Notes> a) kainos: fresh, completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior.

 

No!  Christ’s “NEW (a) commandment to unconditionally-love one another just-as I have unconditionally-loved you” (b) is as completely-different-in-kind as the NEW (a) Covenant Way is over the old covenant, especially because that’s what “New” (a) means!  Christ’s own “NEW Commandment” is “The Law of Christ to bear one another’s burdens” (c), which involves “unconditional-love for even your enemies” (d), and certainly ALL of God’s own children, the Christian brethren (e).  This alone distinguishes us as a disciple of Christ and not of some other rabbi teacher.  <Notes> a) kainos or chadash in the Hebrew OT:  fresh, completely-different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior, b) John 13:34, 15:12, c) Galatians 6:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21, d) Matthew 5:43-44, e) 1 John 2:10, 3:10, 14, 16-17, 4:20-21, 5:1.

 

Jesus didn’t have any scribes record ANY of His teachings, nor ask His apostles to do so, like other important rabbis ALWAYS did, and Jesus gave the reason to not worry:  “The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (a), and “He will teach you ALL things and bring to your remembrance ALL that I have [specifically] said to you” (b) – see New Covenant Ways – BT13c.  <Notes> a) Luke 12:12, b) John 14:26.

 

Christ’s “Great Commission” to the 11 apostles never entellomai officially-commanded (b) ALL His teachings to be taught to ALL others, as I’ve heard too many pastors erroneously teach.  I suppose that’s why the internet says there are 1000s of NT commandments.  He actually entellomai officially-decree for universal compliance in Matthew 28:20, “routinely/habitually teaching them (a) to tereo watch-carefully-to-guard/keep ALL that I have entellomai ‘officially-decreed as commandments‘ (b) you,” but again, there were only 2 such commandments in a single compound commandment ever given in the NT from the Godhead/Triune God: “having trusting-relying-faith in the name/authority of God’s Son Jesus Christ and/coupled unconditionally-loving one another, just as He (Jesus) has given us a entole commandment” (c).  <Notes> a) i.e., those you were made disciples/followers by water-baptizing them, b) entellomai is the verb of entole, c) 1 John 3:23; John 13:34, 15:12.

 

It seems like many in the Church have grossly mistaken the only 2 NT commandments with the 2 greatest OT commandments to “love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”  I’m not the only one who has noticed!  An excellent book is Love Revolution: Rediscovering the Lost Command of Jesus by Gaylord Enns.  See also Obedient Steps of Faith and Unconditional-Love and Logos Word of God pages.

 

Reflection:

 

 

As Christian musicians, why are Christians trying to add more than the only 2 entole officially decreed, universally-binding commandments of trusting-relying-faith in the Son and unconditional-love for one another as Christ did for us?  Are we falling prey to the same religious spirit that drove the Pharisees and scribes to “bind” more commandments to the backs of men?

 

And why do so many Christians think that the 10 commandments or at least the 2 greatest commandments of the OT are still applicable for the NT, even when so many verses say that Christians shouldn’t be following even 1 of the 613 OT commandments – see Logos Word of God – BT8, let alone the 2 greatest OT commandments of “loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself” that sum up the entire OT Law & Prophets – see Logos Word of God – BT13.

 

The “NEW commandments” of the NT are completely-different-in-kind and superior to everything before it, by definition and use.  Jesus didn’t put the 2 NEW commandments on paper either, though others did, because they are written by the Holy Spirit on every believer’s heart!  However, these are the only 2 that Jesus commands the 11 apostles to teach to every disciple to tereo watch-carefully-to-guard/keep – nothing else!

 

Prayer:

 

 

Thank You Jesus for keeping it so simple that even little children and the least among us can learn these from you and be empowered by Your Spirit to do them.  Discipleship is so much easier when we only have 2 things combined into 1 to focus on.  That’s why Your Yoke-harness of learning from You is custom-fit or tailor-made and Your burden of commandments is light to carry.  You certainly aren’t like the other rabbi-teachers but gentle and lowly!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, New covenant has on 2 commandments coupled into 1 Faith in Christ and Love for others, Jesus did NOT teach any old testament commandments, Jesus did NOT have his sayings written down, The Holy Spirit was to be our One Teacher NOT writings, Jesus did not teach Love God with all your being and Love your neighbor, Christ’s commandments are completely different than any old testament one