Jesus Christ presented His Ten Commandments in the form of warnings that Christians should take notice, that their Salvation is at risk. If they ignore these warnings, they will NOT inherit eternal life with Him.
In this, Jesus said:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
The above verse could also be interpreted as saying:
“If ye [really and sincerely] love me [as you claim you do, then], keep [or OBEY each of] my commandments.” (John 14:15)
Recently I discovered the following Ten Commandments of Jesus that are expressed in the form of ‘negative commandments’. In this, they are presented as warnings from Jesus for every Christian to take notice. As an example, one warning in John 3:5 says they “…CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD”.
Therefore, it seems the TEN COMMANDMENTS that Jesus requires Christians to obey are:
- Christians MUST BE PREPARED TO BE HATED AND PERSECUTED
- Christians MUST FIRST COUNT THE COST OF THEIR SALVATION
- Christians MUST STOP SINNING!
- Christians MUST BECOME “BORN-AGAIN”!
- Christians MUST BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
- Christians MUST BE DETERMINED TO DO GOD’S WILL
- Christians MUST PERFORM THE SAME WORKS THAT JESUS CHRIST DID!
- Christians MUST BRING FORTH SPIRITUAL FRUIT UNTO GOD THE FATHER!
- Christians MUST BECOME “MERCIFUL”!
- Christians MUST BECOME PERFECT
“…write them upon the table of thine heart.” (Proverbs 7:3)
The following notes help explain these requirements
Conditional Salvation
Jesus Christ mentions a number of CONDITIONS (or warnings) that EVERY CHRISTIAN must meet if he or she sincerely expects to enter into Heaven at their death. Naturally, there are extreme circumstances where these do not exist—especially where (say) a nurse witnesses Jesus Christ to a patient on a hospital trolley awaiting surgery and he accepts Christ as his Saviour before dying on the operating table. This represents a parallel situation to the Thief on the Cross with Jesus (Luke 23:42-43).
However, most Christians today have been attending churches for many years. This message is focussed upon this group of Christians.
Therefore, the STRICT CONDITIONS required for Salvation as stated by Jesus are explained in detail below.
1. Christians MUST BECOME “BORN-AGAIN”!
Jesus said that if a Christian is NOT truly “born-again”, that he or she CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. This is plainly stated in John 3:5 below:
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man [or a woman] be born of [the] water [of the word— Eph 5:26] and of the Spirit [baptism – Matt 3:11], HE [or she] CANNOT ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
The Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus realised from the words of Jesus that an actual birth was necessary by his words, when he said:
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born [again]?” (John 3:4)
Therefore, unless the Christian has experienced an actual birth whereby they have received a NEW HEART and a NEW SPIRIT from God (Ezek 36:26) that has resulted in him or her becoming a NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST, such an individual has probably not been truly “born-again”. I explained what my “new-birth” experience was like in my podcast testimony.
To confirm these claims, Jesus said,
“MARVEL NOT [meaning, don’t be astonished] that I said unto thee, YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” (John 3:7)
Unless this ESSENTIAL CONDITION for Salvation is met, this means there is NO Salvation.
2. Being HATED and PERSECUTED for Christ’s sake.
True Christianity is NOT about being well liked or even tolerated among family, friends or even others in your church. In this, Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-36 below:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD. {35} For I am come to set a [Christian] MAN AT VARIANCE [or in opposition] AGAINST HIS FATHER, and THE DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, and THE DAUGHTER IN LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER IN LAW. {36} And A MAN'S FOES [meaning, his worst enemies] shall be they OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD." (Matt. 10:34-36)“Blessed are they [the ‘born-again’ Christians] which are PERSECUTED for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when [other Christian] MEN SHALL REVILE YOU [as a legalist, a heretic, etc.], and PERSECUTE YOU [for what you quote from the Bible], and shall SAY ALL MANNER OF EVIL AGAINST YOU FALSELY, FOR MY [Christ's] SAKE. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)
If you listen to my testimony podcast and especially read my eBook titled, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide Through the Churches’, you will see how this rejection happened to me with my family members and also from among many other Christians.
On the contrary, if Christians prefer to place the love of family members above that of loving Jesus Christ, Jesus has plainly stated below that such Christians have NO Salvation!
"He that loveth FATHER or MOTHER more than me IS NOT WORTHY OF ME: and he that loveth SON or DAUGHTER more than me IS NOT WORTHY OF ME." (Matt. 10:37)
3. COUNTING the COST of SALVATION:
In this next of Jesus Christ’s Ten Commandments, Jesus illustrated this warning in His parable found in Luke 14:28-33.
In this, Jesus spoke of a king contemplating going to war and of a man considering building a tower—both of whom failed to COUNT THE COST if they failed in their endeavours, prior to implementing their plans.
Jesus related the failures of these men to be similar for Christians. In this, He requires Christians to diligently COUNT THE COST of becoming a Disciple of Jesus Christ. If Christians fail to become a true disciple of Christ, Jesus illustrated it this way:
“...Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation [i.e. Initial Salvation], and is NOT ABLE TO FINISH IT [i.e. Final Salvation], all that behold it BEGIN TO MOCK HIM, 30 Saying, This man began to build, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO FINISH.” (Luke 14:28-29).
Therefore, if Christians fail to place their love of family members lower than that of loving and obeying Jesus Christ in their life; this means they have NO Salvation!
Similarly, if Christians fail to take up the cross (or ‘burden’) that Christ has for each Christian AND he or she fails to follow Him wherever He leads them to in the next phase of their life, this means they have NO Salvation
4. Christians MUST STOP SINNING!
Achieving the state of SINLESSNESS in the same manner as both God and Christ are sinless is vital. In this, Jesus says:
“And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans WERE SINNERS ABOVE ALL THE GALILAEANS, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, NAY [emphatically NO!!]: but, except ye [meaning the least of sinners completely STOP SINNING and] REPENT [from every future sin Satan tempts you to commit], YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH [in Hell]. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, THINK YE THAT THEY WERE SINNERS ABOVE ALL MEN THAT DWELT IN JERUSALEM? 5 I tell you, NAY: but, EXCEPT YE REPENT, YE SHALL ALL LIKEWISE PERISH [in Hell].” (Luke 13:2-5)
The Apostle John later explained how truly ‘born-again’ Christians refuse to be enticed into committing sinful acts AFTER their New Birth. In this he said in 1 John 2:1; 1 John 3:6 and especially 1 John 3:9 paraphrased below:
“Whosoever is [truly] born [again] of God [this means that he or she] DOTH NOT COMMIT SIN; for his seed [from their new spirit that he or she received in accordance with Ezek 36:26 at their New Birth] remaineth in him [which reminds him or her that any act of sin indicates their spiritual father is the Devil]: [therefore] HE [or she] CANNOT SIN, because they are [truly] born [again] of God [the Father].” (1 John 3:9)
Another commandment is that Christians MUST BECOME HOLY as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). A Christian cannot be holy and be spiritually “…dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1) at the same time.
Therefore, it must be appreciated that ALL sinners (whether Christian or otherwise) will spend eternity in Hell.
5. Becoming a DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
In this next of Jesus Christ’s Ten Commandments, Jesus commanded Christians:
“If any man come to me, and hate not [meaning, love less than Christ] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren [meaning brothers], and sisters, yea, and his own life also, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” (Luke 14:26) “And whosoever doth not BEAR HIS CROSS, and COME AFTER ME, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.” (Luke 14:27) “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that FORSAKETH NOT ALL THAT HE HATH, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." (Luke 14:33)
In summary then, Jesus plainly states that Christians are obligated to:
LOVE LESS THAN CHRIST his or her father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren (brothers), and sisters, yea, and his own life also;
BARE THEIR CROSS for the remainder of their life on Earth;
FOLLOW after Jesus as being one of His ‘sheep’ (John 10:27)
FORSAKE ALL [or abandon everything] THAT HE HATH (Luke 18:22) to obtain eternal life with Christ.
The foregoing verses are very clear that being a committed disciple of Jesus Christ is mandatory for obtaining eternal life with Christ.
6. Be determined to DO God’s Will!
Biblical Christianity is NOT about becoming a member of a church congregation, but becoming a member of the family of God in Heaven. This means we become “sons and daughters of God” (2 Cor. 6:18), as stated by Jesus below:
“For whosoever shall do THE WILL of my Father which is in heaven, the same is MY BROTHER, and [my] SISTER, and [my] MOTHER." (Matt.12:50)
Herein lies the difficulty for many Christians today, which is—how can one actually KNOW what God’s will is to undertake and complete each and every day?
“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 IF ANY MAN WILL DO HIS [God the Father's] WILL, he shall know of THE DOCTRINE, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:16-18)
If Christians don’t know what God’s “DOCTRINE” is or what God’s will is for them—and they fail to do His will, how can they be considered a member of God’s family in Heaven?
The point here is that if Christians fail to do God’s will, Jesus implies in Matt.12:50 that such Christians have NO Salvation!
7. Performing the SAME WORKS that Jesus Christ did!
In this next of Jesus Christ’s Ten Commandments, Jesus said that certain “signs” would be performed by Christians who were also “sons of God” like Him through the ‘New Birth’. These Christians are those who had been ‘born’ into God’s kingdom through the Apostle Paul’s Gospel (Romans 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8).
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD.” (Rom. 8:14)
In this Jesus said:
“And THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE [in Me]; In my name shall they:
cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; 18 They shall
take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)
In regards to doing the “WORKS” that Christians have been created to do through the “New Birth” as mentioned in Eph. 2:10, Jesus said the following words:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12)
Some of these other “works” relating to healing are:
"The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Matt 11.5-6)
Therefore, if Christians cannot demonstrate in their lifetime, any of the abovementioned “WORKS” that Jesus Christ did, this means they have NO Salvation, as confirmed by the Apostle James:
“17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone...20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without [the accompanying] works is dead [faith]?... 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and NOT by faith only...26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2: 17, 20, 24 and 26)
8. Bringing forth SPIRITUAL FRUIT unto God the Father!
In this next of Jesus Christ’s Ten Commandments, Jesus illustrated this very significant warning to all Christians:
“I AM THE TRUE VINE, and MY FATHER IS THE HUSBANDMAN [or the Gardener]. 2 EVERY BRANCH [or every Christian grafted] IN ME [at Salvation] THAT BEARETH NOT [any of the required spiritual] FRUIT, HE [meaning God the Father] TAKETH AWAY [such branches for later burning in the Lake of Fire—John 15:6]: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth [or prunes] it [back], THAT IT MAY BRING FORTH MORE FRUIT.” (John 15:1-2) “If a [Christian] man ABIDE NOT IN ME, [or My words] he is cast forth [from Christ] as a [fruitless] branch, and [it] is [become spiritually] withered; and men [or angels later] gather them, and cast them into the [Lake of] fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6)—Jesus speaking.
In Christ’s parable of The Sower and the Seed in Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus clearly stated that Christians are expected to bring forth “fruit” unto God. Any failure to produce the required “fruit” is not tolerated by God:
“He [the Christian] also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and HE BECOMETH UNFRUITFUL.” (Matt. 13:22)
“Fruit” depends on the type of “Soil” in the Christian’s heart
Christians who have the right type of spiritual “soil” within their hearts are able to produce the required quantity of “fruit” from the “seed” sown, as stated by Jesus:
“But HE THAT RECEIVED SEED INTO THE GOOD GROUND [or soil within his heart] is he that HEARETH THE WORD, and UNDERSTANDETH IT; which also BEARETH FRUIT, and bringeth forth, some an HUNDREDFOLD, some SIXTY, some THIRTY.” (Matt. 13:23)
Jesus also spoke another parable of the landowner in Luke 13:6-9 who had a fruitless tree growing in his garden. In this, the landowner came seeking “fruit” on it during the first three-years and found none. After the gardener appealed to give it more time before removing it from the garden, the gardener said he would fertilise and aerate the soil to ensure it had the best conditions to produce fruit in the fourth year. The landowner agreed. However, if no fruit was produced within that final year, the tree (meaning, the Christian) was to be removed from the garden (meaning, God’s kingdom).
From the above illustrations in these parables by Jesus in John 15:1-8 and Luke 13:6-9, this indicates that all ‘fruitless’ Christians have NO Salvation!
9. Christians MUST BE “MERCIFUL”!
In this next of Jesus Christ’s Ten Commandments, Jesus commands Christians to demonstrate “mercy” to others, in much the same way as God the Father does.
“BE YE THEREFORE MERCIFUL, as your Father [which is in Heaven] also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
If you as a Christian LOVE the Biblical JESUS, you MUST extend the same level of mercy towards others in exactly the same manner that God the Father extends His mercy to you and to others. I class this commandment from Jesus as a MANDATORY OBLIGATION that all Christians must meet to obtain Salvation.
10. Christians MUST BECOME PERFECT:
In this, Jesus commanded Christians to:
“BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)
Other writers in the epistles also reaffirmed this message:
“Therefore leaving [behind as maturing Christians] the [basic] principles of the doctrine of Christ, LET US GO ON UNTO PERFECTION...” (Heb. 6:1) “...Whom we preach, WARNING EVERY MAN, and TEACHING EVERY MAN in all wisdom; that we may present every man PERFECT in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28)
Becoming Perfect is another commandment of Jesus to ALL Christians. If you LOVE JESUS, you MUST therefore endeavour to become PERFECT before God. If PERFECTION is not achieved in the Christian’s life, then such Christians have NO Salvation!
Therefore, the above 10 CONDITIONS are essential for Christians to obtain Salvation based upon this general warning from God:
"Behold therefore the GOODNESS and SEVERITY of God: on them which fell, SEVERITY; but toward thee, GOODNESS, IF thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." (Rom. 11:22)
Despite the lateness of the ‘last days’ we are living in, together with the huge degree of deception that has been around in the churches for more than a century, I believe God still extends His grace to anyone reading the above CONDITIONS and chooses to repent.
If this is you, feel free to send me an email as I am here to assist.
For further reading, please read ‘The New Birth‘ and how this fundamental requirement (if met) will help one comply with Christ’s commandments.
Blessings, Alan
