Love One Another

A New Covenant:

Luke 22:20
Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."

Hebrews 8:7-8
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Hebrews 8:13
In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

John's gospel: New Commandments

What was Jesus's command from the Father? To speak His words (in other words, to be totally submitted to Him and be led by His Spirit, doing the Father's will instead of His own will)

John 12:49-50
"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

John 13:34
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

John 14:15
"If you love Me, keep My commandments."

John 14:21
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

John 14:31
"But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do..."

John 15:7
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

John 15:9-10
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

John 15:12
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

John 15:17
"These things I command you, that you love one another."

John's 1st Epistle

1 John 3:23
And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

When John quotes Jesus and when John later says in his epistles that we are to keep His commandments, John is provably NOT referring to the Ten Commandments. He is referring to Jesus's NEW commandments--to love one another, to be submitted to God's Spirit, to abide in God's love and in Jesus's words. There is no evidence to infer that the Mosaic Law is meant by John's uses of the word "commandments."

Keeping the written Law is inadequate!

Matthew 23:27
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."

1 Timothy 1:9-10
knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine

Matthew 5:20-22
"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."

Matthew 5:27-28
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Matthew 5:43-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Jesus said to be perfect, not as the letter of the law prescribes, but perfect as God in His absolute holiness is perfect

Matthew 19:16-22
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young ruler knew that he lacked something. Jesus had told him that if he kept the commandments of Moses he would live, and yet the man knew he did not have eternal life. So Jesus, in effect, was pointing out that he was not really keeping the commandments. He did not really love his neighbor as himself. He had hate in his heart. He did not really abstain from adultery. He had lust in his heart. And the final test was that when given the opportunity to follow God's Messiah, he instead chose his own life and his worldly possessions. He had greed in his heart and did not love God with his whole heart as the law commands. The law of Moses can only reveal sin; it can not make one perfect.

Jesus said that John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and that beginning with Himself the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven would be preached instead of the Law and the Prophets...
Matthew 11:11-13
"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."

You Must Be Born Again

John 3:3-8
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

How does one receive the Spirit?

Acts 19:2
he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

Galatians 3:2
This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

What are good works?

God's works are the only works that have eternal significance. In the same way that Jesus's words were not His words but the Father's Jn 14:10, so also are Jesus's words eternal Matt 24:35, and so our own works will be tested whether of being of flesh or spirit. 1 Cor 3:11-15

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.