Ten: A New Commandment
When you trusted in jesus…
We’re all familiar with rules. Every time you drive a car, there are dozens of rules and laws you must follow—or, at least, should follow. Every school classroom has rules (e.g., when you can talk, how to ask a question and even when you can go to the bathroom); we also have laws at the city, county, state and national levels, with elected groups of people who spend most of their time arguing about what rules or laws everyone should obey and the punishment if they don’t. You might also have rules in your family, rules at your workplace, rules in games or sports, or even self-imposed rules you place upon yourself, like when to go to bed or what you are allowed to eat. Rules abound.
Yes, there are plenty of rules that are unnecessary, unfair or just downright dumb, but that said, many rules are good and exist for important reasons. Some rules protect us—like not running a red light or with sharp knives—and others have punishments attached, to keep people from doing things they shouldn’t, ranging from a timeout to life in prison.
Rules also exist to provide a level playing field and prevent unfair advantages, like in sports. This is important to remember, as many people tend to dislike rules and view them as obstacles that keep them from truly enjoying life. Although it can feel that way sometimes, good rules—especially those given by God, the One who created everything—exist to help us. God also gives us rules so we can see clearly our repeated sin and failure, which is why we need Him! When you trusted in Jesus, you received a new rule, or in this case, a New Commandment, that is above all others.
Often one of the hardest things about rules is trying to remember them all. Thankfully, Jesus simplified it for us. In the past, God gave His people hundreds of laws to live by and sent prophets (people to speak on God’s behalf) to remind them of how to live. That is a lot to remember, but thankfully Jesus gave us a “cheat code”:
“But when the Pharisees heard that he (Jesus) had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:34-40)
Jesus says that all those rules, laws and prophetic words of correction can be summarized into two simple commandments. Not that details don’t matter, but if you forget everything else and keep these two commands at the front of your heart and mind, you will be on target for how God designed and desires you to live. So, Jesus solved for us the rule complexity problem— as these commandments are quite simple—but unfortunately, that simplicity doesn’t make them any easier to apply. In fact, putting God and others above our selfish thoughts and desires is impossible to do on our own. Thankfully, as we learn to live our life alongside Jesus with His strength and support, we increasingly live out these great commandments. And if you’re still wondering what makes them so great, just imagine what the world would look like if everyone practiced them all the time!