Only Two Commandments, Two Rules!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)  Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)


The children of Isreal and their direct decendants were given nearly 613 laws and commandments to follow (Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy), For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure. (Psalm 135:4) But God is clear, that the Jews could not obey every letter of the law any better than a non-Jew would be able to. (Romans 2:17-24)  Therefore, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

We who are not Jews, but have been adopted into the family of God through our faith in Jesus Christ have been set apart to be a special people also: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.(I Peter 2:9-10)  We only have two rules of things to abstain from: eating blood of an animal, because life is in the blood; and sexual immorality, because our bodies belong to God; “Known to God from eternity are all His works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.  (Acts 15:18-20) Thank God for the freedom He has given us in Christ!

Consider listening to Pastor Erwin Lutzer series "You Can't Redo Life" - lesson 2 of 10, Getting Prayer Right: http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/running-to-win/