Lists of "sins" have been made and minutely categorized. Lists of "virtues" have also been made. Claiming authority from the Bible or from "tradition," doctrines of man have been developed and imposed on almost all facets of human life, from diet to sex, and everything in between.
Fortunately for us, the Bible itself clearly summarizes what God requires from us: first, to have a right relationship with Him; second, to have a right relationship with other people.
Deuteronomy 10:12 describes the right relationship with God: to love Him, fear Him, serve Him, walk in His ways. And Deuteronomy 10:13 describes the right relationship with other people: to keep the statutes and commandments of God, which he has given to us FOR OUR OWN GOOD!
DEUTERONOMY 10:12-13 (RSV)
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12
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of
you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his
ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all
your heart and with all your soul,
13
and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD,
which I command you this day for your good?
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The Ten Commandments provide the most important specific requirements
given by God. Commandments one through four describe our relationship with Him,
and commandments five through ten describe our relationship to other people.
The Ten Commandments, Summarized
1. "Do not put anything ahead of God your Creator."
2. "Do not make or worship idols."
3. "Do not take the name of God in vain."
4. "Take one day of complete rest each week, in honor of God.
5. "Honor your father and your mother."
6. "Do not commit murder."
7. "Do not commit adultery."
8. "Do not steal."
9. "Do not tell lies against anyone."
10. "Do not covet other people's possessions."
(Based on Exodus 20:1-17, restated in
Deuteronomy 5:6-22)
Jesus summarized the requirements of God this way, revealing that love is
the main thing God wants from us: love for Himself and love for other people.
All of God's requirements are based on love.
The Great Commandment
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35
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test
him.
36
"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind.
38
This is the great and first commandment.
39
And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
40
On these two commandments depend all the law and the
prophets."
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So everything God requires from us springs from these two main
requirements: Love God and love your neighbor.
But who, then, is our "neighbor?" When Jesus was questioned about "who is my neighbor?," He answered by giving the parable of the Good Samaritan, which shows that everyone is our neighbor.
LUKE 10:25-37 (RSV)
The Good Samaritan
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25
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test,
saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal
life?"
26
He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you
read?"
27
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself."
28
And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and
you will live."
29
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And
who is my neighbor?"
30
Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and
beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31
Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when
he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw
him, passed by on the other side.
33
But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was;
and when he saw him, he had compassion,
34
and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him
to an inn, and took care of him.
35
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to
the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever
more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'
36
Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the
man who fell among the robbers?"
37
He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said
to him, "Go and do likewise."
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The Parable of The Sheep And The goats shows that God counts our love for
others as if it were love for Himself. So when we love other people, we are
actually loving God at the same time.
MATTHEW 25:31-46 (RSV)
The Sheep And The Goats
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31
"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
32
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will
separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats,
33
and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the
goats at the left.
34
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come,
O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world;
35
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited
me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
37
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see
thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?
38
And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or
naked and clothe thee?
39
And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit
thee?'
40
And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as
you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you
did it to me.'
41
Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels;
42
for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty
and you gave me no drink,
43
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you
did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not
visit me.'
44
Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in
prison, and did not minister to thee?'
45
Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did
it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to
me.'
46
And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the
righteous into eternal life."
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We cannot claim to love God unless we first love our fellow man.
If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a
liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,
cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20 RSV)
For Christians, our "right relationship to God" comes from our faith in
Jesus Christ, His Son.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16 KJV)
When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, and we then
receive the Holy Spirit, we are born again as a child of God, in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit then fills us with love for God and Man, and we naturally and
easily fulfill all of God's requirements for us.
"Love Fulfills The Law"
Galatians 5:14 (RSV)
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:8 (RSV)
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves
his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:9 (RSV)
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not
kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other
commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:10 (RSV)
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law.
James 2:8 (RSV)
If you really fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
Proverbs 10:12 (RSV)
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
1 Peter 4:8 (RSV)
Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love
covers a multitude of sins.