I kept feeling this urge to write about what Jesus Himself commanded His disciples to do.
In my experience, I should — and must — always learn about these things myself first — but if I’m also supposed to write about them, it’s not just me who needs to learn from them. 🙂
It’s not “lightweight stuff”; the result of my research and compilation on this topic has deeply shaken me!
Although it is, of course, incomplete — and despite all its imperfections — it will become a valuable tool for me; one might say, a “divinely calibrated yardstick” for where I currently stand — and where a long road still lies ahead of me that I need to “work” on.
If we apply it honestly to ourselves, it is the “ultimate tool” for self-knowledge.
It shows us in detail what Jesus expects of His followers — what the spiritual attitude and practical meaning of “being a Christian” are — how we are to become so that one day we may hear:
… enter into the joy of your LORD …
Above all, however, the list simultaneously shows each of us who is open to self-examination — like a mirror with unflinching clarity — our own, very personal “flaws and wrinkles,” our own shortcomings — and exactly where we currently stand on this journey of ours toward Jesus!
Now, surely no “newly born” child of God needs to worry that they don’t yet meet the high “standard” that Jesus sets for His followers — but this also helps us all see how far we still have to go.
And we must decide anew each time whether we are willing to pay this price for eternal life with God as our Father and together with His entire family.
Another fact about the life of a Christian that I’m only now truly realizing is this:
There can and must be absolutely no boredom — no “not knowing what to do next” — in the life of a true Christian!
Even if there happens to be nothing to do in the natural realm — a look at this “yardstick” shows us exactly where we still need to work on ourselves — in close cooperation with our LORD and the Holy Spirit — in order to become a “good” servant of our LORD.
For, in the meantime, as I’ve been reflecting on this topic — the Lord’s oral instructions to His disciples, as handed down to us — I’ve come to the conviction:
We must regard these instructions, which Jesus Christ Himself gave us, as the very foundation of the Christian life!
These “commandments” of Jesus could be supplemented by many other passages from the New Testament.
Already in the Acts of the Apostles and subsequently in the epistles of the apostles, Jesus’ followers elaborate on and deepen these teachings for us in detail.
In these epistles, we also find additional, specific instructions and requirements for very particular groups within the Christian community, such as women, men, young people, the elderly, married couples, leaders, and shepherds…
But all the instructions and guidelines that Jesus gave to His followers while He was still in His human body are found solely in the Gospels — the reports of Jesus’ life here on earth — and they apply, without exception, to ALL followers of Christ.
Now, IF Jesus is truly the LORD of our lives, and IF we are His SERVANTS — THEN these instructions from HIM to us are absolutely binding; they are not open to discussion or even “negotiable”!
In listing His instructions here, the order in which our Lord gave them was of secondary importance to me. After all, they were all given within the brief three years of His ministry in Israel.
I feel it’s much more important to identify which areas of our lives and “Christianity” they pertain to — first, to make us all more aware of them, and second, so that I myself can better remember them. 🙂
Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to find the right terms and expressions in my presentation — I pray in Jesus’ name that it will still be a blessing to you.
All right, in principle, the “Double Commandment” — a single answer from Jesus to the question about the greatest commandment, which we find in Mark 12:28–34 and Matthew 22:35–40 — already contains everything the Creator desires from His creatures:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
This is the greatest commandment, the first of all. But there is a second one just as important:
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself!” (Leviticus 19:18)
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
This summary, expressing God’s will for His creatures as revealed through our LORD, is nothing new. At least not for the people of Israel, and subsequently, all the nations that came into contact with Israel had also heard of it.
The Law — the Torah — as God’s written Word to His people had existed for over one and a half millennia, and the prophet Micah (6:8) wrote, nearly 800 years before Jesus answered the question about the greatest commandment:
“It has been told to you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: nothing but to do what God commands [to do what is right], to practice love [kindness], and to be humble [mindful] before your God.”
It is our LORD Himself who explains to us in the Gospels
what this double commandment means for His followers!
Each individual point listed here would require much more consideration than I can offer in this summary, but perhaps we can approach this together. 🙂
A. First, the general instructions for
moral behavior in the daily life of every Christian
I came across 6 “pillars, foundations, or pillars” into which we can categorize Jesus’ commandments, and I was somewhat surprised — that was exactly half of the areas of ministry that the LORD had shown us for Lion of Judah.
Then another thought came to my mind:
6 is the number of man, and these 6 pillars are “only” our human side in this covenant that Jesus makes with His followers.
If we follow these instructions and fulfill these conditions, God will establish the “counterparts” on “His” side, and from the divine side, in accordance with all His promises, He will fill these areas of our lives. From a mathematical perspective, there are 12 pillars there after all 🙂
… but let’s move on to our first one:
1. Pillar of the foundation in the covenant with God: our vertical alignment toward HIM, our attitude and connection to the Almighty
You can also compare this alignment to the upright shaft of the cross. We look up vertically toward HIM — this is our alignment, our “hotline” with HIM.
When we align ourselves with HIM, communication flows in both directions — here’s a quote from Jesus on this: “MY sheep hear my voice.” 🙂
This “bottom-up” perspective can also be seen as a symbol of our attitude toward Jesus.
HE is the LORD and we are servants; in this alignment, we are aware of “who is speaking to whom.”
We must be willing to place our ego, our “I WANT!”, behind God’s will.
Otherwise, our confession that HE is our LORD is merely lip service — a lie with a hypocritical facade.
But then this religious confession of ours is no more valuable than that of the Sadducees and most of the Pharisees in Jesus’ time!
And then we have not even claimed HIS sacrifice for our sins as our own — for this inevitably leads to a “renewal of the mind” in a Christian’s life.
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Mark 12, 29–30
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, and all your strength.
The highest commandment (Shmah Yisrael,
5. Moses 6, 4–5)
Matthew 4, 17
Repent (rethink radically, change your mind) for the kingdom of heaven has come near!
The Radical Turn (Metanoia — New Thinking, New Seeing)
Matthew 6, 6
When you pray, go into your little chamber, close the door and pray to your father in secret (renounce any form of religious self-expression).
The Law of the Hidden Community with God
Matthew 6, 33
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all this will fall to you.
(food, clothes, place to sleep …)
The Commandment to build on God’s kingdom and to trust in Him
Luke 9, 23
Whoever wants to follow me, he denies himself (subordinate his own ego to the will of God) and takes his cross daily.
Faithful succession in the footsteps of Jesus
The second pillar of our foundation in our covenant with God:
our focus, attitude, and relationship with our brothers and sisters
The horizontal bar of the cross — how should a Christian conduct himself within God’s family?
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
John 13, 34
“I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.”
(The standard for this is to “put ourselves last.”)
The New Command-ment to the Followers of Jesus (Mandatum – Assignment, Order, Instruction, Command)
John 13, 14–15
If I, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, you also are guilty of washing one another’s feet. (Signs that we also implement the commandments of charity and of “being there for one another”)
In God’s family, the principle of humbly serving one another prevails
Matthew 18, 15–17
If your brother sins, go and rebuke him in private.
If he does not listen, take witnesses with you.
If he still does not listen, bring the matter before the whole congregation.
The “Protocol for Justice Among Christians” — or how to deal with the transgressions of our siblings
Matthew 18, 22
You shall not forgive your brother until seven times but, until seventy times seven.
(The rejection of every bitterness and enmity).
The infinite willingness to forgive in God’s family
Mark 10, 43–44
Whoever among you wants to be great must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all. (Servant Leadership).
The reversal of the hierarchy in the world
These first two parts of our Lord’s double commandment are inseparably linked and are of fundamental importance to our Christian life!
To use a “picture” – anyone who has ever looked through a rifle scope knows what I mean…
If our target isn’t precisely in the crosshairs — both vertically and horizontally — the shot will miss.
It will go left or right, up or down — and usually both.
3rd Pillar — the outer circle, the circle around the cross,
our relationship with the world without God
This is the time when we are challenged and tested — our old nature must die…
This is nearly impossible without God’s Spirit and His help — and that is precisely why our vertical and horizontal alignment as Christians must be correct!
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Matthew 5,44
Love your enemies, bless, who curse you, do well to those who hate you, and ask for those who offend and persecute you.
The true revolution of love for one’s enemies in this world
Matthew 5, 39
You shall not resist evil; but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, offer the other.
A Christian’s Renunciation of Strife and Revenge
Matthew 26, 52
Put your sword back in its place!
For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
The Renunciation of Violence — all justice comes from God
Matthew 22, 21
Give to the emperor what is of the emperor and God what is God (loyalty to the state in worldly things, loyalty to God in the spiritual).
The Principle of Loyalty and Fidelity — To each what Is due
4th Pillar—the Inner Self,
Purification and Preservation of Our Mind
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Matthew 7,1
Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. First, pull the beam out of your own eye.
Prohibition against judging others – but “Self-Judgement”
Matthew 5,22
He who angries his brother or calls him a hollow head (raqa) is guilty of the court
(All the bad up to the murder begins in our minds).
The Radical Nature of Purity — it begins in our thinking
Matthew 5,28
Anyone who sees a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart
(The visual hygiene, that is, do not expose itself to temptation, but flee).
Faithfulness in marriage as in our covenant with God – sexual purity of a Christian
Matthew 5,29
If your right eye leads you to apostasy, tear it out and throw it from you. (Radical separation from all sources, including people who can endanger your relationship with God).
The uncompromising “self-amputation” of everything that God does not mean
Matthew 5,37
But your speech is: Yes, yes; no, no!
What about it is from evil
(Absolute ban on manipulation and fraud against our environment).
Only the truth – if you have to talk at all …
5th Pillar — Our Attitude Toward and Approach to Material Values,
Money, and Possessions in the Life of a Christian
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Matthew 6, 24
No one can serve two masters.
You cannot serve God and the mammon.
You can only have one Lord.
Matthew 6, 19
You shall not gather yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust eat them,
but gather you treasures in heaven.
Prohibition of the accumulation of values – wealth and surplus money for the interests of God use it
Luke 6, 30
Give it to everyone who asks you; and from him who takes yours from you does not demand it back. (Complete unbundling of any possession thinking).
No adherence to material, a radical genesis t
6th Pillar — the LORD’s commission
to His servants, but also to His brothers and sisters in this world
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Matthew 10, 16
Behold, I send you like sheep in the midst of the wolves. Be wise as the serpents, and without falsehood like the doves.
Tactical cleverness – but remain honest and loving
Mark 13, 37
But what I tell you, I say to all, watch.
(Absolute rejection of spiritual sleep, and carelessness, repression).
The permanent watch of a Christian on all internal and external threats
Matthew 28, 19
Now go and make disciples all nations, immers them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Our final Call
– The Global Mission Command l to all Christendom
Whoever follows these rules of Jesus becomes a defenseless sheep in the eyes of the world — but receives from God the Father the absolute and invincible authority of the Lamb, who returns as a Lion!
B. The Core Elements of Being a Christian
As I’ve been studying our Lord’s instructions, I’ve noticed “things” that I’ll refer to here as the core elements of being a Christian — if anyone can think of a better term, I’d be happy to hear it.
I was only able to categorize these “core elements” into three directions or areas — but that’s half of these six pillars, and after all, we do have a triune God 🙂
Prayer — our communication — the mission — our calling —
and the sacraments — the seals of the covenant with God
The first element — prayer — or how are we supposed to communicate with God and the LORD at all?
For Jesus, prayer is not empty religious babble, and certainly not a list of requests or wishes.
We’ve already seen that HE requires us to consciously align ourselves with God, to “tune in to HIS frequency” — just as a satellite dish must be precisely aligned with the satellite.
Vertically aligned with God and HIS will — and horizontally, first toward our brothers and sisters and then toward all of humanity, with the same love we have for ourselves — so that the receiver can receive a signal at all!
We should never lose sight of this God if communication is to function without interference; our proper alignment is crucial for a “conversation with God.”
In and through prayer — in “being together,” in fellowship with God — we can receive guidance, comfort, strength, encouragement, and EVERYTHING else we need from our Father — if we are focused on HIM and remain so.
Prayer is our spiritual “source of energy,” our “refueling station,” our connection with God — if we suppress or put it off for too long, we will undoubtedly get stuck along the way!
Jesus teaches us:
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Matthew 6, 7–8
When you pray, you shall not babble like the Gentiles, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Law of precision, God puts no emphasis on empty chatter and hollow phrases
Matthew 6, 9–13
Pray now: Father ours, who is in heaven…
Your will is done…
(The absolute priority of the divine “master plan” in our lives).
The OUR FATHER –
Concept and pattern of the Lord for our prayers to God
Luke 11, 9
Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and shall be opened
(Perseverance in the Spirit).
The direction of our search and our consistency is crucial
Matthew 18, 19
If two of you on earth agree on any thing … so it will be given to them by my Father.
Unity among brothers and sisters in accordance with God’s will makes anything possible
John 14, 13
What you will ask in my name, I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
The covenant of authority in the name of Jesus as our Lord
The second element—the universal and global mandate of Christianity — our calling, the mission!
Our Christian life must not be an exclusive wellness club, nor an isolated, self-sufficient community or hermitage that revolves solely around itself.
But even a “normal,” comfortable existence — where we concern ourselves only with our own affairs — has lost its legitimacy if we want to be Christians!
All who wish to be HIS followers have the crystal-clear commission to go out into the world’s “still-unbelieving collective” and “sow” the seed of the good news of Jesus!
Spreading the Gospel is Jesus’ final command—given after their “training”—to His disciples.
We cannot seriously claim that Jesus is our LORD if we refuse to carry out the mission He has entrusted to us!
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Mark 16, 15
Go all over the world and proclaim the gospel of all creation.
The ultimate mission to every “mature” follower of Jesus
Luke 10, 4
Do not carry a purse, no bag and no shoes; and greet no one on the way
(The total dependence on, and the complete trust in our provider).
Our trust must never lie on ourselves, or other people, but only on Him
Matthew 10, 8
Heal the sick, wake up dead, cleanse lepers, casts out demons!
For nothing you have received it, for nothing there are!
The authority of a true Christian –
the law of harvest and seed
Matthew 10, 14
If someone does not receive you… so go out of that house… and shake the dust from your feet.
No compromises!
Consequence is the complete aversion of all who reject God
The third element — the “sacraments” — shared acts,
and “interfaces with the spiritual world”
Here, Jesus connects the spiritual world with our physical existence.
The water — the bread — the wine
These are visible seals, signs of the covenant with God, for both the natural and the spiritual worlds.
Bible passage:
Jesus’ instruction to us:
Command, or term for memory:
Mark 16, 15
He who has become a believer and was baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.
The condition of salvation – we must accept Jesus as our Lord, there is no alternative!
Matthew 28, 19
Make disciples all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Obedience Step of Baptism – the Seal – a sign of the visible and the invisible world
Luke 22, 19
He took the bread… broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me!”
The Covenant Meal (Communion, the Lord’s Supper)
The significance of the bread as body –
Matthew 26, 27–28
Drink everyone out of it! For this is my blood of the new covenant, which for many is shed for the forgiveness of sins.
and of wine as the the price of our salvation, and eternal life
For me personally, it was quite “sobering” to be made to realize where I truly stand right now in my Christian life — but as the saying so aptly goes —
Insight is the first step toward betterment 🙂
The comforting thing is that we can repent at any time, turn around, and return to the path of our LORD.
That God’s grace is new to us every morning, and we can realign ourselves with Him at any time.
That we are never alone — our Lord Jesus is always with us — and with Ruach ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, we have at our side the greatest source of power at work in this universe!
Hallelujah! — Maranatha Yeshua
Shalom to you all
Schäfla
