“IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS”

There are 1050 commands (total count with some repetition noted) in the New Testament for Christians to follow. They cover every phase of man’s life in his relationship to God and his fellowmen, both now and hereafter. These commandments, if obeyed, will greatly enrich our earth-life, producing godliness while preparing us for forever with our Lord. They are not to be confused with the Ten Commandments nor the Law of Moses which were abolished in the New Covenant/New Testament, although it should be noted nine of the Ten Commandments were reintroduced in the New Testament as New Covenant commandments (Keeping the Sabbath day holy is the exception).  Following are some of the commandments found in the epistle of 1 John:

*Walk in the Light *Confess sin *Keep His commandments *Keep His words *Walk as He walked *Do not love the world *Do not sin *Practice righteousness *Love in deed and truth *Keep His commandments *Love God more than the world *Love one another *Spread the word throughout the world.

This is some of the “meaty stuff” we often gloss over. And, we must not forget the First and Second “Great Commandments” to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as we love our Self. When the New Testament speaks of keeping commandments, it is talking about these New Covenant commandments. Jesus said “If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15), establishing obedience as the truest measurement of our love for our Lord… the First and Greatest Commandment. Notice obedience is directly commanded three times in 1 John (Keep His commandments 2x, Keep His words). Stating the obvious, we must first know His commandments before we can obey them!

OBEDIENCE… 
THE TRUEST MEASUREMENT OF OUR LOVE