Which Laws Did Jesus Say To Keep?

Discover which laws Jesus said to keep, how they relate to the Ten Commandments, and what the law of Christ means for your daily obedience.

Author:K. N.Nov 19, 2025

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Clarity In A Confusing Debate About Jesus And The Law

Many believers search which lawsdid Jesus say to keepbecause they want clear, scriptural guidance, not opinions. Some teachers say Christians are “not under the law,” others insist we must still keep the Ten Commandments, and others emphasize only the “law of Christ.” These mixed messages make it hard to know what obedience to Jesus should look like in daily life.

The Gospels and letters of the New Testament give a coherent answer. Jesus speaks about fulfilling the Law and the Prophets, quotes key commandments, highlights love for God and neighbor as the greatest commands, and gives a new command to love other believers as He has loved us.

The apostles then describe life under the law of Christ rather than the old written code. This article brings those threads together to show, from Scripture, which laws Jesus wants His followers to keep today and how they fit into one unified, Christ-centered way of life.

1. The Modern Concern Behind “Which Laws Did Jesus Say To Keep”

At some point, anyone who takes Jesus seriously ends up asking something like, “Which laws did Jesus say to keep?”

It’s not just a theoretical debate. It’s usually coming from a heart that thinks:

“I love Jesus and I want to obey Him. But am I supposed to follow the Ten Commandments? All the Old Testament laws? Only ‘love’?”

You hear:

Some voices saying, “We’re not under the law at all, just grace.”
Others stressing, “Christian morality = keep the Ten Commandments.”
Others sharing long “commands of Jesus” lists: 30-50 key commands, or even 300+ individual imperatives found in the Gospels.

Underneath all that, people are really looking for two things:

Theological clarity:how Jesus relates to the Law and the Prophets.
Practical direction:what that means for day-to-day obedience as His disciple.

This article is designed to deliver both.

2. Big-picture Summary Of Jesus And The Law

Here is the high-level picture this article unpacks:

Jesus did not abolishthe Law and the Prophets; He came to fulfill them and press their moral demands into the heart.
In key scenes, He quotes several of the Ten Commandmentsand “love your neighbor,” showing that the law’s moral core still matters.
He summarizes which laws matter most with two great commandments: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.
He gives a new commandmentto His disciples: love one another as He has loved them, and He links abiding in His love with keeping His commandments.
The New Testament calls this pattern the law of Christ-a life of love toward God and others that fulfills the law.
Christians are not under the old covenant law codeas Israel was, but they live under the law of Christ, learning to observe everything He commanded, empowered by the Spirit.

We’ll walk through how Scripture leads to that conclusion and then state clearly which “laws” Jesus expects His followers to keep today.

3. Jesus’ Programmatic Statement About God’s Law

The best starting point is Jesus’ own words about the Law and the Prophets.

Fulfillment Rather Than Abolition

Painting depicting Jesus, wearing a red tunic and blue mantle, sitting on a rock and delivering the Sermon on the Mount to a large crowd of disciples and followers.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. He warns against loosening even the least command and says that a greater righteousness is needed than that of the scribes and Pharisees.

Key implications:

Fulfillment: He brings the law’s story-sacrifices, symbols, promises-to its intended goal in Himself.
Continuity: God’s law still reveals His character; it is not trash to be thrown away.
Deepening: He immediately intensifies commands like “do not murder” and “do not commit adultery,” showing that anger, contempt, and lust violate God’s will, not just the final external act.

Jesus’ own summary: God’s law still matters, but He insists on heart-level obedience, not just outward compliance.

Use Of The Commandments In The Rich Young Ruler Account

When a wealthy young man asks what good deed will bring eternal life, Jesus first points him to “the commandments.” When the man asks which ones, Jesus cites:

no murder
no adultery
no theft
no false witness
honoring father and mother
loving neighbor as self

The man claims he has kept all these, yet he knows something is missing. Jesus then calls him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. The man walks away, exposing that his true allegiance is to wealth, not to Christ.

Jesus clearly affirms God’s moral commands, but He also uses them to reveal the deeper issue of who or what truly rules the heart.

4. Core Commands Jesus Elevates As Central

Beyond individual scenes, Jesus highlights certain commandments as central and interpretive for everything else.

Love For God And Neighbor As The Law’s Foundation

Asked for the foremost commandment, Jesus quotes:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

He then says that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two.

This means:

Every command God has given either clarifies what it means to love Him or clarifies what it means to love other people.
Any obedience that tramples love has already lost the heart of the command.

In summary, the foundational “laws” Jesus wants kept are:

wholehearted love for God
active, self-aware love for neighbor

Everything else fits under those two.

Love Within The Christian Community As A New Standard

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gives His disciples a new commandment:

love one another
in the same way He has loved them

This love is:

self-givingand sacrificial
humble, expressed in serving and even washing feet
forgiving, as seen in His restoration of Peter

This is to be the distinguishing mark of His disciples. The community of Jesus is meant to be recognizable by this Christ-shaped love.

Obedience As The Expression Of Love

In John 14-15, Jesus repeatedly links love to obedience:

those who love Him keep His commandments
those who keep His commandments abide in His love, just as He has kept His Father’s commands
He promises the Holy Spirit to enable this way of life
He speaks of joy being made full as His words are kept

Obedience is not presented as a way to earn His love, but as the fruitof truly knowing and loving Him.

5. Breadth And Number Of Jesus’ Commands

Online, many people want a specific number of commands Jesus gave in the New Testament and wonder if there is a finite list to check off.

Broad Discipleship Lists

Many discipleship resources identify somewhere around 30-50 broad commandsof Jesus that clearly apply to all His followers. These include calls to:

turn from sin and believe the gospel
follow Him and deny self
let your light shine
reconcile quickly
take sin seriously
keep your word
love enemies and pray for persecutors
give, pray, and fast in secret
seek God’s kingdom first
resist crippling worry
judge others without hypocrisy
ask, seek, knock in prayer
treat others as you’d want to be treated
watch out for false prophets
forgive repeatedly
serve instead of lording authority
love God and neighbor
go and make disciples of all nations

Detailed Counts Across The Gospels

If a person goes through the Gospels and collects every imperative statement Jesus makes, including repeated phrases and one-time directions, the count rises into the hundreds.

Not all of these apply directly to every believer in every situation (some are specific instructions in a particular moment), but the sheer volume shows that Jesus’ teaching is rich in concrete guidance, not just general ideas.

The Discipling Focus Of “everything I Commanded”

Rather than focusing on an exact number, the Great Commission sets the tone:

make disciples
baptize them
teach them to observe everything Jesus commanded

The scope is wide-everything He commanded-and the process is ongoing. Obedience to Jesus is a lifetime apprenticeship, not a one-time checklist.

6. The Law Of Christ As The Believer’s Rule Of Life

The phrase “law of Christ”gives a concise label for the Christian’s relationship to “law.”

New Testament Use Of The Phrase

Paul writes:

that believers should carry one another’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2)
that he is not “without God’s law” but is under Christ’s law(1 Corinthians 9:21)

So believers are not without law; they live under a different lawthan the old Sinai code.

Also Check Out: Ancient Greece Law

Loving God And Neighbor As The Core Of Christ’s Law

Most careful teachers understand the law of Christ as:

love for God with heart, soul, mind, and strength
love for neighbor as oneself
love for fellow believers modeled on Jesus’ own love

Paul’s teaching in Romans 13 reinforces this. He lists several of the Ten Commandments (no adultery, murder, theft, coveting) and says they are all summed up in “love your neighbor as yourself.” He concludes that love is the fulfillment of the law.

The law of Christ has this shape:

the two great commandments
the new commandment to love as Jesus loves
the whole pattern of His teaching and example, empowered by the Spirit

Freedom From The Old Code, Not From Holiness

Christians are not under the old covenant law as a system of hundreds of detailed commands given to Israel. They are:

freed from its condemning power and ceremonial burdens
called into a new covenant where God writes His law on hearts
empowered by the Spirit to live out love, holiness, and mission

The right response to grace is not a relaxed attitude toward sin, but a new motivation: love for God and gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice. Obedience now flows from relationship, not from fear of not measuring up.

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7. Jesus’ Relationship To The Ten Commandments

Because so much Christian conversation centers on the Ten Commandments, it helps to see how Jesus relates to them under the new covenant.

Use Of Individual Commands Rather Than The Package

The New Testament does not use the phrase “Ten Commandments” as a central banner for Christian ethics. Instead, it:

quotes and applies individual commands from the Ten (e.g., no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no false witness, honoring parents)
contrasts the old written code with the new way of the Spirit

The Ten are not erased; nor are they placed above all other Scripture. Rather, they are part of the larger revelation of God’s moral will, now understood through Christ.

Jesus’ Authority In Interpreting And Surpassing The Ten

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cites several commands from the Ten and then says, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…”

He:

intensifies “do not murder” into a call to deal with anger and contempt
intensifies “do not commit adultery” into a call to deal with lustful intent
distills complex oath systems into simple truthfulness-“let your ‘yes’ be yes”

He does not abolish these commands, but neither does He merely repeat them. He exercises authority over them, showing what God’s righteousness truly entails and revealing Himself as the supreme interpreter of God’s will.

Use Of Other Torah Texts To Define What Matters Most

When Jesus identifies the greatest and second greatest commandments, He does not quote Exodus 20. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:5and Leviticus 19:18 instead.

That move shows:

the Ten Commandments are not isolated as the only or even ultimate expression of God’s will
love for God and neighbor is the defining center, even above the specific form of the Ten
Jesus is willing to make interpretive decisions on His own authority about what is greatest

In the new covenant, therefore, a believer’s focus is not “Ten Commandments vs. everything else,” but Christ and His law of love.

Fulfillment Of Sabbath In The Person Of Christ

The fourth commandment (Sabbath) illustrates Jesus’ unique authority:

He often heals and acts on the Sabbath, confronting strict interpretations of the day
He claims to be Lord of the Sabbath
He invites the weary to come to Him for rest

The principle of rest and worship is not denied, but it is fulfilled and deepened. Final rest is found in Him, not in a particular calendar regulation. This is why later New Testament teaching shows freedom of conscience regarding specific days while still valuing rest and worship.

8. Practical Summary Of Laws Jesus Wants His Followers To Keep

Here is a clear, practical summary page visitors are hoping for when they search “Which laws did Jesus say to keep.”

In one sentence:Jesus calls His followers to live under the law of Christ-loving God and neighbor, loving fellow believers as He loved them, and learning to observe everything He commanded, which together fulfill the moral core of God’s law.

Broken down, that means:

Foundational love commands:loving God with all you are, loving your neighbor as yourself, and loving fellow believers as Jesus has loved you.
Moral content of the law, reaffirmed and deepened:rejecting idolatry, hatred, adultery, theft, lies, and coveting, not only in actions but at the heart level.
Broad commands of Jesus recorded in the Gospels:turning from sin, trusting Him, forgiving, giving, serving, praying, seeking God’s kingdom, and making disciples.
New-covenant posture:obeying not to earn salvation, but as the fruit of grace, walking by the Spirit rather than under the old written code.

That is what “keeping the laws Jesus said to keep” looks like in a New Testament sense.

FAQs About Jesus And The Law

What Does Jesus Say About Keeping The Law?

Jesus's teaching is that the Law must be kept, but its true purpose is love. He came to "fulfill" the Old Testament Law, bringing it to its ultimate meaning. For followers, keeping the law means prioritizing the two great commands: love for God and love for others, which brings joy and freedom, not condemnation.

Which Commandments Did Jesus Say To Keep?

Jesus explicitly consolidated all the commandments into two core directives: loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and loving your neighbor as yourself. These two commands are the foundation for keeping the moral law. His specific teachings provide the detailed instructions for how to live out that love.

Is There A Document Called The "List Of Jesus Commands PDF" Or "300 Commands Of Jesus"?

While no official canonical document exists under the title "List of Jesus Commands PDF," scholars have compiled detailed lists of the many distinct commands Jesus gave in the Gospels (numbering around 300). These compilations are helpful for study, but theologically, they are all practical examples of the single Law of Love (John 14:15).

What Is The Law Of Christ And How Does It Relate To The Commandments?

The Law of Christ is understood to be the Great Commandment-loving God and loving neighbor-as interpreted and empowered by Jesus. It relates to the commandments by serving as the fulfillment of the moral law. When you obey the Law of Christ (e.g., carrying each other's burdens), you automatically fulfill the spirit of all moral commands.

Did Jesus Abolish The Ten Commandments?

No. Jesus did not abolish the Ten Commandments; he fulfilled them. He intensified the moral commands (e.g., murder is also anger) and demonstrated his supremacy over the ceremonial aspects (e.g., the Sabbath), establishing that the moral principles are now to be kept through the internal motivation of the Law of Christ, rather than the external written code.

What Is The Difference Between Keeping Moses's Commands And Jesus's Commands?

The difference lies in the motivation and outcome. Moses's commands (the Law) were external and exposed sin (a ministry of death). Jesus's commands (The Law of Love) are internal, powered by the Holy Spirit, and result in joy and freedom from sin's bondage, because they are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

Conclusion

Jesus answers the concern which laws did Jesus say to keepby fulfilling the Law and the Prophets and calling His followers to love-shaped obedience. He centers everything on loving God and loving neighbor, adds a new command to love one another as He has loved us, and deepens the moral core often summarized in the Ten Commandments.

Living under the law of Christ means trusting Him, walking by the Spirit, and aligning real choices with His teaching in areas like purity, generosity, forgiveness, and mission. As you keep returning to the Gospels and put His words into practice, you are keeping the laws Jesus truly cares about for His disciples today.

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K. N.

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