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This page gathers a consolidated reference list of the principal commands Jesus gives in the four Gospels, arranged under the two “greatest commandments” that He identified. Each command is phrased in Christ’s own imperative language and keyed to its first clear occurrence; parallel passages are noted in parentheses.

Not a Checklist for Earning Salvation

The commands of Jesus are mandatory, not optional. Obedience is not the means by which you earn salvation, but rather, obedience is the way in which you experience the salvation Jesus promised.

Scripture is clear: we are saved by grace through faith, not by doing enough good works (Ephesians 2:8–9). I encourage you to read Why Works-Based Salvation Doesn't Work. Scripture is also clear that a profession of faith without these works is dead; and dead faith cannot yield eternal life.

Commands of Christ

Viewed Through the Two Greatest Commands

Jesus gives two great commands, and we find that all of His individual commands are simply how those two commands take concrete shape in real life.

According to the Scriptures, obedience to these commands is demanded and expected—not as the price of salvation, but as the necessary evidence that we truly know and love God. Grace does not nullify this call to practical obedience; it teaches, empowers, and produces it in the believer, and we are warned not to receive this grace in vain.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
— Matthew 22:37–40

1) Love the Lord Your God

These are primarily Godward: worship, trust, loyalty, and inner allegiance.

Core Call of the Gospel

  1. Come unto Me. — Matthew 11:28
  2. Repent and believe the gospel. — Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15
  3. Follow Me. — Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:27; John 21:19
  4. Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… and teaching them to observe all I commanded. — Matthew 28:19–20 (Mark 16:15)

Worship, Trust, and Devotion

  1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. — Matthew 22:37 (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27)

  2. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. — Matthew 6:33

  3. Abide in Me. — John 15:4

  4. Remember Me (in the supper). — Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24

  5. Pray, “Thy will be done.” — Matthew 6:9–10

  6. Ask, seek, knock. — Matthew 7:7 (Luke 11:9)

  7. Enter into your closet and pray in secret. — Matthew 6:6

  8. When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. — Matthew 6:17

  9. Render to God the things that are God’s. — Matthew 22:21 (Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25)

  10. Have faith in God. — Mark 11:22

  11. Believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. — John 14:11

  12. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me. — Matthew 11:29

Inner Life, Holiness, and Guarding the Heart

  1. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad in persecution. — Matthew 5:12 (Luke 6:23)

  2. Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid. — John 14:1, 27 (Luke 12:32)

  3. Take heed that no one deceives you. — Matthew 24:4 (Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8)

  4. Remember Lot’s wife. — Luke 17:32

  5. Deny yourself, take up your cross daily. — Luke 9:23 (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34)

  6. Be holy, be merciful, and be perfect as your Father is holy, merciful, and perfect. — Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:36; 1 Peter 1:16 [1]

  7. Beware of hypocrisy (the leaven of the Pharisees). — Luke 12:1; Matthew 16:6

  8. Take heed and beware of the leaven of Herod (worldly politics). — Mark 8:15

  9. Beware of covetousness. — Luke 12:15

  10. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, not on earth. — Matthew 6:19–20

  11. Take no thought (anxious care) for your life. — Matthew 6:25–34 (Luke 12:22–31)

Life in the Spirit and Readiness

  1. Receive the Holy Spirit. — John 20:22

  2. Take heed, watch and pray; be ready, for you do not know when the time is or when the Son of Man comes. —
    Mark 13:33–37; Matthew 24:42–44; Luke 21:36; Matthew 26:41 (Mark 14:38)

  3. Remember how you have received and heard, and repent; hold fast till I come. — Revelation 3:3; 2:25

2) Love Your Neighbour as Yourself

These are primarily horizontal: mercy, reconciliation, generosity, and witness.

  1. Love your neighbour as yourself; whatever you would have others do to you, do also to them. —
    Matthew 22:39; 7:12 (Luke 6:31)

  2. Love one another as I have loved you. — John 13:34; 15:12

  3. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. — Mark 11:25 (Luke 6:37)

  4. Be reconciled to your brother before offering your gift. — Matthew 5:24

  5. Love your enemies; bless those who curse you; pray for those who spitefully use you. —
    Matthew 5:44 (Luke 6:27–28)

  6. Resist not evil; turn the other cheek. — Matthew 5:39

  7. Give to him that asks of you. — Matthew 5:42 (Luke 6:30)

  8. When you make a feast, do not call your friends to be repaid, but invite the poor, maimed, lame, and blind. — Luke 14:12–14

  9. Let him who has two coats impart to him who has none. — Luke 3:11

  10. Judge not; do not condemn; first cast the beam out of your own eye. — Matthew 7:1–5 (Luke 6:37–42)

  11. Swear not at all; let your “Yes” be “Yes.” — Matthew 5:34–37

  12. Freely you have received, freely give. — Matthew 10:8

  13. Give in secret; let not your left hand know what your right hand does. — Matthew 6:3

  14. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. — Matthew 10:8

  15. Let your light so shine before men. — Matthew 5:16

    • Neighbor-facing witness that also glorifies the Father.

A Lens, Not Legalism

Seen this way, every command is an expression of the two loves:

If a “command” doesn’t serve one of those two loves, it’s probably a tradition or personal conviction, not a command of Christ.

How to Use This List

  1. Meditate on one command each day; read the context in your Bible.
  2. Pray for grace to teach you to obey it (Hebrews 12:28; Titus 2:11).
  3. Teach others: Jesus said, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:20

“If you know these things,
happy are you if you do them.”
— John 13:17

Unable or Unwilling?

If you go to church, you’ve probably heard it: “No one can keep God’s commandments— that’s why Jesus died.” It sounds humble and biblical. It isn’t.

Here are the two problems, up front:

  1. It isn’t true. Scripture contradicts the slogan and never grounds the cross in that premise. We’ll see why.
  2. It soothes, then sears, the conscience. It minimizes responsibility and trivializes God’s commands, keeping us stuck in the same sinful habits.

Sometimes this shows up as denial (“The commands are impossible”); other times as faux-humility (“If we could obey, Christ needn’t have died”). An honest reading finds no support for either—unless we contradict what God says about His commands or quietly revise what Jesus says about His death. Jesus calls that posture self-deception and unrighteousness (Matthew 7:21–27; Luke 6:46).

Do not mishear me:

  • I am not saying anyone is saved apart from Christ’s sacrificial death.
    Jesus is the only way to life.
  • I am not saying we earn salvation by command-keeping.
    We receive life by grace through faith, not by works.
  • I am not saying sinless perfection is attainable now.
    We await glorification.

Hear what I am saying:

  • Scripture contradicts the blanket slogan, “No one can keep God’s commandments.”
  • Scripture does not say Jesus died because no one can keep them.
  • Those soundbites dull what the Bible actually says and comfort us with Satan's original lie.
  • Touch the slogan publicly and watch the reflex; observe tradition defending itself, not truth testing itself (it's a "pet doctrine").

These lines don’t deepen godliness; they blunt its sharp edge. They nudge us away from repentance and toward rationalization, away from obedience and toward excuse.

What follows will dismantle the fiction and show—straight from Scripture—that God’s people have kept His commands, and that His grace, by the Holy Spirit, still trains and empowers obedience today (Titus 2:11–12).

This is simple, not easy. Denying the flesh and disciplining heart and mind is real work. If past failure crushes you, remember: His mercy endures for ever and His grace abounds. Also remember: mercy and grace never nullify His call to obey. Grace meets us precisely here—pardoning sin and training us to renounce ungodliness and live faithfully in this present world (not after glorification).

Read with an open heart. Lay every excuse on the altar. Let the Word speak.

"We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."
— 2 Corinthians 6:1

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5

A) Name the “Impossible” Command

1) Which specific command are you calling impossible?

(Write the exact verse reference.)

Burden of proof:
Identify when/where you faced this command and why obedience was beyond your actual ability in that situation—not beyond your inclination.

2) What concrete behavior does that command require next time it appears?

(Translate it into observable actions you could do in the next 24–48 hours.)

Optional “Collective Impossibility” Challenge

  • List the 3–5 commands you claim can’t be kept together.
  • Sketch a 24-hour scenario showing the alleged conflict (times, places, people).
  • Resolve or retract: If you can’t demonstrate an unavoidable clash, the “collective” claim is camouflage for unwillingness, not evidence of inability.

One-liners you can drop in the margin:

  • Vagueness is camouflage for disobedience.
  • If the law guides action, it can be done; if it can’t be done, it doesn’t guide.
  • Individually doable + collectively impossible = you’re calling God a trap-setter. He says otherwise.
  • Name it, frame it, show the clash—or drop the excuse.

B) Identify the Impediment

  1. What exactly prevents you from obeying today?
    • Lack of knowledge? (You now have the verse.)
    • Physical limitation?
    • Fear of loss / ridicule / cost?
    • Desire you refuse to surrender?
Beware the Clever Smoke Screen:

“No single command is impossible, just the whole of them together.”
That isn’t humility—it’s a sanitized way of calling God a liar, because He says that His commands are neither beyond our reach nor burdensome... and then He names a long list of people who did what we claim is impossible.

It protects our pet sins and sedates our conscience while dodging the specific idol we refuse to surrender, trying in vain to hide it behind human frailty. In the end, it excuses nothing—it only exposes our refusal to obey.

  1. Is this impediment stronger than God’s promised help?
    • “My grace is sufficient for thee.” —2 Cor 12:9
    • “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” —1 Cor 10:13
    • “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” —Acts 1:8
    • “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” —Rom 8:13

C) Consult the Witnesses

  1. Does Scripture record anyone who obeyed this command?
    • If yes, your claim of “impossible” weakens.
    • If no, show the verse that exempts you.
  2. Which promise of the Spirit’s power directly answers your impediment?
    • List at least one (Gal 5:16; Eph 3:16; Phil 4:13).

D) Probe the Heart

  1. If total secrecy were guaranteed, would you still disobey?
    • Anonymity reveals whether “inability” is actually unwillingness.
  2. If Jesus stood physically beside you, would you still say “I can’t”?
    • Why or why not?
  3. What benefit—comfort, image, control—does disobedience protect?
    • Be specific.
  4. Would you give up that benefit if it meant obeying Christ?
    • If no, the issue is preference, not incapacity.

F) Expose the Excuse

“Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” —Luke 6:46

  1. Finish the sentence truthfully:
    • “I choose not to obey because __________________________.”
  2. How does this differ from Adam’s excuse (“The woman…”) or Saul’s (“I feared the people”)?
  3. Does your idea of “grace covering sin” function as a license to keep this excuse alive?
    • If so, you have turned grace into licence (Jude 4).

G) Challenge the “All-Commands-All-the-Time” Rebuttal

Claim: “No single command is impossible, but obeying all of them all the time is.”

  1. Where does Jesus license partial obedience?
    • Supply chapter and verse—or admit if none exists.
  2. Does the Spirit dwell in portions or in fullness? —John 3:34; Eph 5:18
  3. Is the real problem that you attempt obedience in your own strength instead of abiding? —John 15:4-5
  4. What would change if you shifted from self-effort to Spirit-led obedience today?
    • Describe one habit, thought, or relationship.

H) Confess and Repent

  1. Confess the excuse you wrote in step 11.
  2. Claim Titus 2:11-14—grace teaches and empowers holiness.
  3. Commit to one measurable act of obedience within 24 hours, relying on prayer and the Spirit.
  4. Invite a mature believer to ask next week, “Did you obey?”

I) Final Question

“Wilt thou be made whole?” —John 5:6
Your next move reveals whether “impossible” was fact—or convenient fiction.

Did you know?

People Did Keep God's Commandments and it didn't earn them salvation. There's a reason Why Works-Based Salvation Doesn't Work, and that reason might surprise you.

FOOTNOTES

  1. This line combines three closely related “be like your Father” commands—be holy (1 Pet. 1:16), be merciful (Luke 6:36), and be perfect (Matt. 5:48). For the sake of brevity and emphasis on their shared thrust, I’ve summarized them here as a single consolidated command while keeping the original references listed. ↩︎