Whoever hears my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me...(John 14:21).
Jesus was very clear; "Whoever hears my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me..." (John 14:21).
Obeying Jesus' commands is proof that we love Him.
But, what commands?
Is Jesus referring to the Ten Commandments or the 613 other commands that are listed in the Mosaic Covenant? Or did He have different commands in mind?
The writer of Hebrews stated, "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law." This verse will help us answer the last question.
The New Covenant is a changing of the guard. The Levites were the stewards of the Old Covenant. They had specific duties and responsibilities all anchored to the Law of Moses. Jesus' death on the cross ended those duties. He was the once for all sacrifice for sin. He fulfilled the Old Covenant in its entirety.
Today, we live in the New Covenant. Jesus Christ is our high priest, appointed to be so by God the Father. With this change in the priesthood, there was a change of the law.
The new commands are these.
- Believe in Jesus Christ (I John 3:23).
- Hope in God’s promises (1 John 3:1-3).
- Love God and people (John 13:33-34, Romans 5:5).
Faith, hope and love constitute the law of the New Covenant.
God writes these laws on our hearts and in our minds. This is the first promise of the New Covenant. God empowers us to live out faith, hope and love through His Spirit.
The laws of the Old Covenant were the responsibility of the people of Israel to keep. They didn't have it in them to do so. Neither do you.
In this New Covenant, God gave you a new heart and His Spirit to mark your life with the laws that are most important to God - faith, hope and love.
In Him,
Bob Christopher