The Commandments of Jesus

Richard Thetford

Must we keep the commandments of Jesus in order to be saved and go to heaven? Some will answer yes and most will answer no. Those entrenched in denominationalism will answer no, stating that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and therefore, all we have to do is believe in Him and we are saved. The primary passage used for this reasoning is John 3:16. They will also reason that although it is important to keep Jesus’ commandments, there is no way that we possibly can — that His death on the cross forgave us of all sins and all we must do is believe in Him in order to be saved. If this line of reasoning is true then the demons will be saved (James 2:19), there is no need to be baptized (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21), and Jesus’ words are not to be taken seriously (John 14:15; 15:14).

We Must Obey Jesus In Order To Be Saved

Those who reason that we don’t have to obey all the commandments of Jesus to be saved are practicing a “cut and paste” religion. How can you claim to live for someone whom you have no intention of listening to and obeying everything that they ask you to do? Most religious people “cut and paste” the commands of Jesus that are “easy” for them to keep, while discarding those that don’t quite fit their own lifestyle. This is an absolute dishonest type of religion. If we claim to follow Jesus, to walk in His steps, then we MUST obey His commandments. Take a moment to read what Jesus and His Word says concerning obedience in John 14:15; 15:14; Hebrews 5:9; Acts 5:29, 32; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17). Jesus said baptism is required in order to be saved (Mark 16:16). Who will you choose to obey — Jesus or religious leaders?