Laws and Commandments

Chapter 3

Day 2

               The laws of the book of Leviticus are very boring reading to most people so they tend to skip them. In all actuality these laws are very informative. If you study and understand these laws, you will learn a lot about God and his love for His chosen people. Unfortunately those in the Old Testament times who were given the responsibility of interrupting the laws did so in a way that profited the rich (righteous). Come to think of it, they still do.

What is the biblical difference between a law and a commandment? That’s simple, a law was given to the Jewish people to be used to govern the people. A commandment is given for the people to govern their own lives by. Commandments are a way of life.

The writers of the Old Testament were inspired to give several commandments to the people. You will note these commandments are different and separated from the law. Ex 13:8-10; Ex 20:3-17; Deut 5:6-21; Deut 4:5; Deut 4:9-10; Deut 6:4-9; Deut 11:18-21; Deut 32:46-47; Josh 8:30-35; 2 Chr 17:7-9; Neh 8:2-8; Psa 78:1-7; Prov 3:3-4; Prov 6:20-21; Prov 7:1-4; Isa 57:8; Jer 11:4; Zech 7:9-10; Zech 8:16-17. If you read the book of Numbers, you will find a big difference between the law and these commandments.

What about the New Testament? Jesus explained the Ten Commandments in His sermon on the mount. (Matt 5-6). He also added New Commandments during His ministry. Matt 5:16; Matt 5:22-24; Matt 5:27-48; Luke 6:27-36; Matt 6:1-4; Matt 6:6-8; Matt 6:16-25; Matt 6:31-34; Luke 12:12-31; Matt 7:1-5; Luke 6:37-42; Matt 7:6-14; Luke 13:24; Matt 7:15-29; Matt 16:24; Mark 8:34; Matt 18:8-10; Matt 18:15-17; Matt 18:21-22; Matt 19:16-19; Mark 10:17-22; Matt 20:25-28; Matt 22:34-40; Luke 10:28-37; Matt 24:42-51; Matt 25:34-46; Mark 6:7-11; Matt 10:5-42; Mark 9:35; Mark 9:38-39; Mark 9:42-50; Mark 10:9; Mark 10:11-12; Mark 11:22; Mark 12:17; Matt 22:21; Mark 13:33-37; John 7:24; John 13:34-35; John 14:11; John 14:15; John 14:23-24; John 15:2; John 15:4-5; John 15:7-12; John 15:14; John 15:17; John 15:20-22

When we think of commandments, we naturally think of the Old Testament. We never think about Jesus giving us commandments. What about the Apostles? First let us look at Paul. When we think of Paul, we think of letters written to different churches. Are there commandments contained in the Pauline Epistles? Just a few!! Rom 12:1-3; Rom 12:6-21; Rom 13:8-14; Rom 14:19-21; Rom 15:1-2; 1 Cor 8:1; 1 Cor 8:7-13; 1 Cor 10:7-10; 1 Cor 10:24; 1 Cor 10:28-32; 1 Cor 14:20; 1 Cor 16:13-14; 2 Cor 13:7; Gal 5:1; Gal 5:16; Gal 6:1-2; Eph 4:1-3; Eph 4:26-32; Eph 5:1-6; Eph 5:11; Eph 5:15-21; Eph 6:10-11; Eph 6:13-18; Phil 1:27-28; Phil 2:2-8; Phil 2:12-16; Phil 4:4-6; Phil 4:8-9; Col 2:6; Col 2:16; Col 2:20-23; Col 3:1-2; Col 3:5; Col 3:8-9; Col 3:12-17; Col 3:23; 1 Thess 3:12; 1 Thess 4:1; 1 Thess 4:3; 1 Thess 4:5-6; 1 Thess 4:9-12; 1 Thess 5:6; 1 Thess 5:8; 1 Thess 5:12-22; 2 Thess 2:15; 2 Thess 3:6-15; 1 Tim 1:4; 1 Tim 2:1-2; 1 Tim 2:8-12; 1 Tim 3:2-13; 1 Tim 4:1-7; 1 Tim 4:12-16; 1 Tim 5:1-14; 1 Tim 5:16-21; 1 Tim 6:11-14; 1 Tim 6:17-20; 2 Tim 1:13-14; 2 Tim 2:19; 2 Tim 2:22-25; 2 Tim 3:2-5; Tit 1:5-14; Tit 2:2-5; Tit 2:9-12; Tit 3:1-2; Tit 3:8; Heb 6:1; Heb 6:11-12; Heb 10:22-25; Heb 12:1-5; Heb 12:12-16; Heb 13:1-3; Heb 13:5; Heb 13:7; Heb 13:9; Heb 13:15-17

What about the other Apostles and writers of the New Testament. We have to remember, the scriptures were inspired by God, not the writer. If God had a commandment he wanted us to have, He inspired the writer to write it down. Jam 1:16; Jam 1:19; Jam 1:21-22; Jam 2:1-4; Jam 2:8-12; Jam 3:1; Jam 4:7-11; Jam 4:13-15; Jam 5:7-12; Jam 5:16; 1 Pet 1:13-17; 1 Pet 2:11-25; 1 Pet 3:8-12; 1 Pet 3:15-17; 1 Pet 4:1-15; 1 Pet 5:1-3; 1 Pet 5:5-9; 2 Pet 1:5-7; 2 Pet 1:10; 2 Pet 3:14; 2 Pet 3:18; 1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:10-23; 1 John 4:1; 1 John 4:7-8; 1 John 4:11-12; 1 John 4:15-16; 1 John 4:21; 1 John 5:21; 2 John 1:5-6; 3 John 1:11; Jude 1:3-4; Jude 1:20-23; Rev 3:11; Rev 3:18-19; Rev 22:17

  Commandments were given throughout the scriptures for us to use in governing our lives. These are not guide lines we can choose to ignore (although we sometimes do), these are actual commandments from God that we must obey.  Jesus tells us this in John 14:15-29, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

John tells us in 1 John 3: 10-24 that to have Jesus (Holy Spirit) dwelling in us, we must keep His commandments.

Daily Bible Readings

Read 1 John chapter 3.