What commandments from the Old Testament (OT) apply to Jesus followers today?
People sometimes wonder, “What commandments from the Old Testament (OT) apply to Jesus followers today?” The answer is, of the over 600 OT commandments, 12 still apply.
You might wonder which 12 and why those? The why is because those 12 were called out by Jesus. The first two are what is known as the Greatest Commandment, to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength then the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
They come from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18 respectively. The other 10 are, of course, the 10 Commandments, which are listed in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. That’s it. Well, Jesus also reiterated tithing as a New Testament command, but He didn’t quote the specific OT command. One important point.
If we follow Jesus and prioritize the first two, to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to also love our neighbors as ourselves, the rest of the commandments will simply flow from obeying those two. As Jesus told us, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. It’s not about a bunch of OT commandments. Love God and love people as God would love them and you will remain in His presence and His will.
But now we are released from the law,
having died to that which held us captive,
so that we serve in the new way of the
Spirit and not in the old way of the
written code.
Romans 7:6 ESV
Troy Stoneking is a Jesus follower helping others recover the joy of the Lord in their life. Information Technology leader with extensive experience in team building, training, coaching, sales, and customer service in Clarksville, Tennessee, USA.
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