Do the Ten Commandments still apply under the new covenant today?

[SabbathBlessings]

It is true that when a person is born again, God fills us with His Spirit, which keeps us from sin.

1Jn 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.​

However, people, even Born-again Christians, can fall into sin if they resist the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The bible tells us:

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.​

The whole of scripture tells us that "we should not sin", but "if we do, God will forgive", but He will move us away from sin.

Jas 5:19-20 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.​

If a person has fallen into sin or a time of unbelief, there is still hope, for the cross covers our whole lifetime of sins:

Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.​

Church leaders were told to pray for the restoration of those who had wandered into sin. Only if a person died in sin, could they no longer pray:

1Jn 5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.​

The fact is if someone has got messed up in sin, God will try to restore them. Not allowing the sin, but cleansing from it.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.​

I agree with all of this, good post, but the last part I would add, God will restore when we sin, but we need to be sorry for our sins, come to Jesus with a sorry heart and repent and confess and He is so faithful He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness as if we have never sinned. God is so good. Amen.

But, we are also told we not only need to confess our sins, we need to forsake them

Pro 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Why its important so we don't cover unhidden sins, and allow God to define what sin is. 1 John 3:4 James 2:11-12 Rom 7:7 Mat 5:19-30 Rom 14:23. If we go to Jesus and ask Him to show us our covered sins and really are sincere about changing our lifestyle to be in harmony with His will, He will show us our sins and help us overcome them.

While we can't be perfect on our own, we can through Christ. The only way that is possible is if we are submitting to the Spirit daily, as Paul said I die daily, its an on going daily process of dying of self, surrendering to God being connected to Jesus John 15:4,5,10 asking His help in overcoming our sins and I believe through Him He can keep us from sinning. There is no sin too great that if we ask for His help in overcoming, He can move all our mountains in our lives, I truly believe this. It doesn't happen overnight, but its something we all should be striving for and have faith He keeps His promises that when He forgives and cleanses us and says Go and sin no more, He can give us the power to do this.

Its a promise of the Scriptures

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.


Revelation 2:7
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’

Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’

Revelation 2:17
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

Revelation 2:26
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works (Exo 32:16) until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 3:12
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on himMy new name.

Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 21:7
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Rev 22:14 14 Blessed are those who [a]do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

 

[Clare73]

Lev 19:18 "Love your neighbor as yourself - is affirmed all through the NT - but that is not ceremonial
Heb 10:4-11 says the laws regarding animal sacrifice and offerings ended at the cross.
Matt 22 -
Love God with all your heart - Deut 6:5
Love your neighbor as yourself - Lev 19:18
Is the foundation of the canon of scripture "All the L:aw and the Prophets" according to Christ.
The same "Love your neighbor as yourself" that you see in Lev 19:18 and in Matt 22 - is still in Rom 13 and James 2.
The point remains.

So the new commandment of the New Covenant is love one another as I have loved you (Jn 13:34). . .not only covers all the bases of the Law, but raises "do no harm" to "love as I have loved you,". . .and yet the Law is still the focus.

I'm sure you'll understand if my NT focus is not on the obsolete Old Covenant (Heb 8:13) "do no harm," but on the New Covenant higher standard in the new commandment of Jesus to love as he loves us (Jn 13:34).

 

[Sam91]

What about the great commission too? Where does that fit in?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

What about the great commission too? Where does that fit in?

Great point

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [c]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [d]Amen.

Jesus told the apostles to teach and observe all things that He has commanded and He taught not just to love our neighbor and to love God, but told us how we do this, so we are not depending on what love means to us, which is futile Jer 17:9 compared to how God tells us how to love man and to love Him. It doesn't make sense to command us to love without telling us what that is, thankfully He does. Exo 20:6 John 14:15 1 John 5:3 John 15:10 Mat 7:7-13 Mat 15:3-14 Mat 19:17-19 Rom 13:9 Deut 6:5 quoting from Deut 5 and Exo 20:1-17 which we see in the life of Jesus and the apostles. Just like the commandment to beleive in Him, yet not beleive or follow what He taught and how He lived for our example to follow 1 John 2:6 1 Peter 2:21-22 Heb 4:15.

 

[RandyPNW]

I am talking of the ten commandments here in this thread, not the law of Moses and again they are not the same. The Ark of the Covenant contains the tables of stone, on it, the ten commandments ( THE COVENANT) written by the finger of God, OUTSIDE of the ARK of the Covenant, the law of Moses that were written separately by Moses hand. I am not a Jewish teaching the so called 613 commandments far from it, are you Jewish?, what are you doing here, confusing people even more than you are with the 613?

Yes, your focus is on the 10 Commandments, but you are also asking if they apply under the New Covenant? So I'm answering this question by stating that they are not part of the New Covenant, but part of the OT Law. They are, in my view, part of the Old Covenant, and as I define the Old Covenant, it includes both the 10 Commandments and the entire Law.

The 10 Commandments were indeed called "the Covenant," but in being called that it was not intended to be the exclusive material called "the Covenant." We *know that* because Moses explained that this Covenant also required fully keeping the *entire Law,* as well as recognizing the ammendments that went with it.

Perhaps you wish to ask the question in such a way that you only accept terms as you define them? If so, I don't think the question is for just anybody to answer--just for those you feel use your definitions. But my answer would *not* use your definition, specifically with the assumption that "the Covenant" is exclusively the 10 Commandments.

So , still no answer as to the new covenant and what it contains, you spent time in a diversion tactics using the 613 to avoid responding.

No, see above. We define "the Covenant" differently. This is *not* a "diversion."

You speak of an entirely different Law of God and a bit later of " Moral law to be kept through abiding in him" can you define clearly the Laws you speak about that are put in out hearts? Will you answer clearly for once?

I've said many times that when the Temporal Laws of Temple, Priest, and Sacrifice are stripped away, along with all that aniticipates a future Salvation in Christ, what you have left is the original command of God to "live in God's image, after His likeness."

That is how God defined it--that is not an evasion! It is a Moral Law, as is commonly referred to in Church Theology--that is not an evasion! It requires Faith to know who God is, and what Moral Law is associated with living in Him.

Cain did not require a Law prohibiting Murder to know it was wrong to murder his brother. He knew by faith in God, and by association with Him, that it was morally wrong to abuse others. But God gave it to him anyway because he needed the law spelled out for him, being that he seemed to avoid recognizing that.

There is a Moral element in all of God's laws because Israel set an example under that system of *doing what God said to do.* Morality requires obedience under whatever system God has currently in place. What system God currently has in place is a matter of Faith and a matter of recognizing what He has done in instituting a new system after the Law.

In the NT system, God requires Christians to direct all of their moral applications to "God's likeness" in Christ's example. He lived under the Law but was separate from the Law, ie the Law did not apply to him except as a reference to his Salvation. We saw his obedience under the Law, but we also saw that he fulfilled the Law.

God was therefore recognizable by Faith in our observance of Christ and his moral example. We saw in him the likeness of God, and thus developed our "Moral Law," which calls for us to live like God in the example of Christ.

So, if you're looking for a list of rules, they are not, like the Law, anticipating the need for a future Salvation. They are based on the fact Christ has already done the work of Salvation, and legal perfection is no longer to be recognized as prohibitive in the Salvation of the Church.

There is therefore no more need for laws to redeem us from legal disqualification. We simply live like Jesus lived, as he represented God's image and likeness.

You have to recognize in his example the God who he represented. And you have to see, by Faith, how his example related to the Law in terms of its Morality. It means we abide by many of the principles of the 10 Commandments, as well as by the example of obedience to God Jesus demonstrated. We do not lust or covet, violate the rights of others, or seek any example of religious life apart from the example Jesus set. And so, we are called to fidelity to his moral example.

This requires Faith that Christ is the Messiah of Israel and originator of the Law of Moses. It is how he fulfilled its moral quality and ended the need for rules of redemption that determines the system of morality we live under.

If you do not know what these Laws are how can you follow them? Jesus gave us a clear answer of what to to to have eternal life.

When Jesus told the man who was still under the system of Law that Salvation comes by obeyiing the rules of the Law he was not stating that those laws liberated him from the need for redemption. The Law was always meant to lead Israel, in obedience, towards ultimate Salvation through Christ.

Now that the Law has been fulfilled, there is only need to abide in the example Christ set, being separate from the Law and yet the heart of its moral structure. This means that we simply follow after God's image and likeness, and strip away the things that are no longer needed that represented obstacles to our Salvation.

This may be an undesirable task for you, but for most Christians in history reading the Scriptures, both OT and NT, and joining that to our experience of Faith has been sufficient to encode moral and spiritual laws on our conscience. Who God is shines through in whatever Covenant we read because He is always perceivable by Faith. The material we read is simply a "legal transparency" under which we perceive God's moral likeness.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

If the Ten Commandments has been "fulfilled" meaning to end, no longer have to keep, why would Jesus say if breaking the least of these commandments and teaching others to break the least of these commandments quoting directly from the Ten Commandments, one would be least in heaven Mt 5:19 and if reading the next verse means not there Mat 5:20 seems like people are either not trying to reconcile the true meaning of fulfilled here which means to fill full- not destroy as Jesus just plainly stated or really not interested in the true meaning of what Jesus is teaching. This seems pretty plain to me. Mat 5:19-30 and not the only time Jesus taught on the Ten Commandments never teaching not to keep, but the opposite . Mat 7:7-13 Mat 15:3-14 Mat 19:17-19 Mat 22:37-38 Mark 3:4 Mar 2:27-28 Why would Jesus who is God that became flesh destroy His own law that sits in His heavenly Temple revealed at the last Trumpet before His Second Coming that is the standard of judgement for all Rev 11:18-19 because He didn't as He stated plainly, not a jot or tittle Mat 5:17-18 and should be kept by love and faith in Him. Exo 20:6 John 14:15 Rev 14:12

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

If that's the case, I am confused why one would be debating against obeying God's commandments Psa 119:172 Rom 7:12 Isa 56:1-2 John 14:15-18 1 John 3:24 Psa 19:7 Rom 6:16

There are two sides of this coin. On one side, we see the law as the "ministry of death" (2 Cor 3:7). On the other side, we "delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (Ro 7:22). A person can see both sides of the coin if they have "life in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:2) because the law has killed them, but the Spirit has given them life (2 Co 3:6). I trust you are able to see both sides.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

There are two sides of this coin. On one side, we see the law as the "ministry of death" (2 Cor 3:7). On the other side, we "delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (Ro 7:22). A person can see both sides of the coin if they have "life in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:2) because the law has killed them, but the Spirit has given them life (2 Co 3:6). I trust you are able to see both sides.

The consequences of breaking God's law i.e. the ministry of death, the wages of sin is death Rom 6:23 Its not the law itself, which is holy, justice and good Rom 7:12 Psa 119:172 and perfect for converting our soul Psa 19:7 written by our perfect Creator, His perfect Testimony Exo 31:18. God's law is a reflection of His holy character which we are to be re-created in His image. The issue is sin and breaking God's law, not God's law. The law is just so we can see our sins and should be like a mirror so we see our true condition James 1:22-25 and go to Jesus for the solution.

 

[Clare73]

There are two sides of this coin. On one side, we see the law as the "ministry of death" (2 Cor 3:7). On the other side, we "delight in the law of God according to the inward man" (Ro 7:22). A person can see both sides of the coin if they have "life in Christ Jesus" (Ro 8:2) because the law has killed them, but the Spirit has given them life (2 Co 3:6). I trust you are able to see both sides.

God's "holy character" is much more than the negative "do no harm."

The New Covenant is a covenant of grace, not of law, "do no harm". . .righteousness is not by law keeping but by the grace of faith (Eph 2:8-9, Ro 3:22), with the New Covenant new commandment: love one another as I have loved you written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whose law it is and who enables us to obey, and which far transcends the obsolete (Heb 8:13) Old Covenant "do no harm."

The New Covenant of grace far transcends the Old Covenant of law,
the New Covenant law, love one another as I have loved you, far exceeds the Old Covenant law, "do no harm,"
the New Covenant sacrifice far exceeds the Old Covenant sacrifices,
the New Covenant Mediator far exceeds the Old Covenant mediator, and
the New Covenant Sabbath-rest far exceeds the Old Covenant Sabbath-rest.

How does one extol the Old Covenant in light of the exceedingly greater New Covenant?

????

 

[SabbathBlessings]

This is the New Covenant according to Scripture

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

The New Covenant is established on better promises Heb 8:6 not new or better laws, as it still has God's law, just written on a better surface our hearts and minds and established on better promises of how God will help us keep them through our love and cooperation John 14:15-18

Why its still a sin to break the Ten Commandments in the NC 1 John 3:4 James 2:11-12 Rom 7:7 Mat 5:19-30 but through Jesus Christ and our love to Him, He is the one enabling us to keep, which is a much better promise than the OC which was based on ones own efforts Exo 19:8.

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

The consequences of breaking God's law i.e. the ministry of death, the wages of sin is death Rom 6:23 Its not the law itself, which is holy, justice and good Rom 7:12 Psa 119:172 and perfect for converting our soul Psa 19:7 written by our perfect Creator, His perfect Testimony Exo 31:18. God's law is a reflection of His holy character which we are to be re-created in His image. The issue is sin and breaking God's law, not God's law.

Yes, you are right that the law is good and perfect and holy and that it is a ministry of death that kills those who disobey it. That's the same thing I said. And you are right that our failures to obey means we need "to be re-created in His image". That's also the same thing I said.

But let's consider the "slip and fall and get back up to sin no more" argument. How does it comport with the "wages of sin is death" concept or the "re-created in His image" concept?

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

The New Covenant is a covenant of grace, not law. . .righteousness is not by law keeping but by the grace of faith (Eph 2:8-9), with the New Covenant law love one another as I have loved you written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whose law it is and who enables us to obey, and which far transcends the obsolete (Heb 8:13) Old Covenant "do no harm."

I basically agree with what you are saying. I could word-smith it a bit, but it is good as written. What did I say that led you to write this?

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Yes, you are right that the law is good and perfect and holy and that it is a ministry of death that kills those who disobey it. That's the same thing I said. And you are right that our failures to obey means we need "to be re-created in His image". That's also the same thing I said.

But let's consider the "slip and fall and get back up to sin no more" argument. How does it comport with the "wages of sin is death" concept or the "re-created in His image" concept?

The slip and fall and sin no more is not my argument, its what Jesus tells us to do when we slip and fall (repent 1 John 1:9) and go and sin no more John 8:11, why would Jesus say that if it were not possible?

The wages of sin is death- sin is breaking God's law, why we need to be re-Created in God's image who is without sin and kept all of the commandments and is our example. When we sin we take on the image of the father of sin, the devil 1 John 3:8 God wants to re-Create us in His image and likeness as He did before the fall Gen 1:26 and He does that though sanctification which the Sabbath is a sign of this Eze 20:12 and only God can sanctify us, we can't sanctify ourselves Isa 66:17 God is trying to take out everything the devil puts in us, which is why we need to be really careful what we watch, who we allow in our lives, our thoughts, any external influence that is trying to take away our sanctification in Jesus Christ.

God's law is a reflection of God's holy character so we see God's law as a mirror James 1:22-25 to show us our sin Rom 3:20 Rom 7:7 and our need for Jesus Christ. If one was keeping the Ten Commandments the way Jesus explained the intent behind them Mat 5:19-30 there would be no more sin, just peace and waves of righteousness Isa 48:18 why its God's perfect law converting the soul Psa19:7 written by our perfect Savior Exo 31:18

I made a thread a long time ago showing how God's law is a transcript of God's character Removing the laws of God- what does it really mean?

 

[fhansen]

I do not think there will be no need for the commandments, the better way is saying if we are keeping the commandments through love and faith, we are than in harmony with God and His will Psa 40:8 Heb 8:10 and the commandments are not going to be an issue because we are living them in our hearts and minds,

Might be a distinction without a difference there, TBH. No sinners enter heaven, and the law is for sinners,1 Tim 1:9. I think God's work will be done in us by the time we enter heaven (even if even further, infinite growth towards His image is possibly the order of the day there), in order for us to even be able to enter, to be capable of seeing Him, IOW: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God", etc.

The very purpose of man's existence is to come to know and love God, and the neighbor. That's what we're here to do. And once we love, we no longer need to be told how to love, which never worked in the first place but only served to convict us of our failure to do so. Either way, God's work involves getting us to love as He does because in that lies all of our complete wholeness, happiness, peace, meaning, purpose, humility, justice, righteousness, etc: everything He's always wanted for man. In Eden man chose pride and selfishness instead and the exsistence we have now in this world is the result-until we turn back to Him, for something much higher and better. Love comes first, and then authentic obedience follows.

 

[Spiritual Jew]

I thought I did, if one deletes a commandment like remove it from God’s law laying it aside meaning it’s not for me, how is one keeping it.

No, you are not addressing what I'm saying at all. James 2:10 has nothing to do with deleting a commandment from God's law and that is my point. I am simply refuting that argument that was made. Do you think that verse has anything to do with deleting a commandment from the law? It does not. All James is saying there is that if you are guilty of breaking one commandment of the law then you are guilty of breaking them all.

So it seems to me it applies to James 2:11-12 breaking one of the commandments we break them all which includes deleting any of them. God numbered the commandments “Ten” Exo 34:28 Deut 4:13 by design because God knew man would try to tinker with them and turn them into an unbiblical number. I see what you’re saying and agree with you, but I think the other poster can make a case its also applies to deleting one of the commandments because in essence its the same result, not keeping the commandment.

Wrong. The verse has absolutely nothing to do with deleting a commandment from the law. Nothing whatsoever.

 

[SabbathBlessings]

No, you are not addressing what I'm saying at all. James 2:10 has nothing to do with deleting a commandment from God's law and that is my point. I am simply refuting that argument that was made. Do you think that verse has anything to do with deleting a commandment from the law? It does not. All James is saying there is that if you are guilty of breaking one commandment of the law then you are guilty of breaking them all.


Wrong. The verse has absolutely nothing to do with deleting a commandment from the law. Nothing whatsoever.

Ok, than answer me this, if we have laid aside the commandment of God as Jesus quoted from the Ten Commandments Mark 7:7-13 how can one be keeping them in James 2:11-12

 

[SabbathBlessings]

Might be a distinction without a difference there, TBH. No sinners enter heaven, and the law is for sinners,1 Tim 1:9. I think God's work will be done in us by the time we enter heaven (even if even further, infinite growth towards His image is possibly the order of the day there), in order for us to even be able to enter, to be capable of seeing Him, IOW: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God", etc.

I think we are splitting hairs- no one in heaven will be sinning so everyone will be keeping God's law and be in harmony with God.

Love comes first, and then authentic obedience follows.

Yes, which has been my point

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [e]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

and love to God and love to man is

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

And His commandments of course would be what God claimed as His in His own Exo 20:6, spoken in His own voice written by His own finger , which is the Holy Spirit of Truth. Deut 4:13 Exo 34:28 Not a jot or tittle can be changed, because no one can possibly improve upon God's perfect law converting the soul Psa19:7 and no one is above God's own personal Testimony to edit it Exo 31:18

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

The slip and fall and sin no more is not my argument, its what Jesus tells us to do when we slip and fall (repent 1 John 1:9) and go and sin no more John 8:11, why would Jesus say that if it were not possible?

The wages of sin is death- sin is breaking God's law, why we need to be re-Created in God's image who is without sin and kept all of the commandments and is our example. When we sin we take on the image of the father of sin, the devil 1 John 3:8 God wants to re-Create us in His image and likeness as He did before the fall Gen 1:26 and He does that though sanctification which the Sabbath is a sign of this Eze 20:12 and only God can sanctify us, we can't sanctify ourselves Isa 66:17 God is trying to take out everything the devil puts in us, which is why we need to be really careful what we watch, who we allow in our lives, our thoughts, any external influence that is trying to take away our sanctification in Jesus Christ.

God's law is a reflection of God's holy character so we see God's law as a mirror James 1:22-25 to show us our sin Rom 3:20 Rom 7:7 and our need for Jesus Christ. If one was keeping the Ten Commandments the way Jesus explained the intent behind them Mat 5:19-30 there would be no more sin, just peace and waves of righteousness Isa 48:18 why its God's perfect law converting the soul Psa19:7 written by our perfect Savior Exo 31:18

I made a thread a long time ago showing how God's law is a transcript of God's character Removing the laws of God- what does it really mean?

So, the paradigm you are living under is 1) be re-created in God's image, 2) try your best to not slip and fall, 3) if you do slip and fall, then restart the sequence at number 1) again? Is there ever a time when the re-creation in God's image results in no slips and falls? Or is there ever a time that slips and falls pay the wage of eternal death?

 

[Clare73]

I basically agree with what you are saying. I could word-smith it a bit, but it is good as written. What did I say that led you to write this?

Feel free to word-smith whatever you think could use it. . .

 

[fhansen]

I think we are splitting hairs- no one in heaven will be sinning so everyone will be keeping God's law and be in harmony with God.

Yes, which has been my point

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [e]Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

and love to God and love to man is

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

And His commandments of course would be what God claimed as His in His own Exo 20:6, spoken in His own voice written by His own finger , which is the Holy Spirit of Truth. Deut 4:13 Exo 34:28 Not a jot or tittle can be changed, because no one can possibly improve upon God's perfect law converting the soul Psa19:7 and no one is above God's own personal Testimony to edit it Exo 31:18

Ok. We love in order to authentically keep the commandments (among other good fruit produced by love). That’s the difference between the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith and a “righteousness” of my own that comes from the law, Phil 3:9. IOW, righteousness does not come from the law, Gal 3:21.