Are there 600+ Commandments or only One?

[IM4given]

I have been reading a book about a Jewish fellow in NYC who decided to take the Holy Bible (and he used 100s of bibles and a whole team of "holy men" from various faiths), from Genesis to Revelation, and live by the literal interpretaion of the Biblical commandments for an entire year. Mind you now, he is only Jewish by birth to jewish parents, but admits he is truly an "agnostic" and doubts that there is a God who wants to have a personal relationship with His People. I think he wrote the book as a way to mock fundamentalist beliefs, but it really got me to thinking about how I have tried to live my life.

He was walking around the streets of NYC, on the subways, etc., dressed in sandals and white clothing and allowed his beard to grow long and flowing and even decided to stone a few people by throwing pocketfuls of pebbles at them. Crazy huh?

I think this is as silly as the people who think that Jesus' Golden Rule of "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." is now the only "valid commandment" that they need to follow.

So I am doing my bible study this week to see exactly which commandments we should follow. I am not being LEGALISTIC by any means - I do not believe that if you do not follow all of the commandments you will die and go to hell. You cannot EARN your salvation by works, and you cannot LOSE your salvation once you are saved. I believe in following the commandments in the sense of "if you love God then you show that by keeping His commandments." If you want God to answer your prayers, then you keep His commandments and He will answer your prayers. Am I too far off the beaten track? Or am I on the straight and narrow way?

Okay here is what I come up with so far ...we don't have to keep the commandments about sacrificing animals on the altar for 2 reasons - Jesus was the sacraficial Lamb of God who bore all of our sins on the cross, and none of the Jews are able to make sacrifices until the Holy of Holies and its Altar can be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

I don't think stoning is any longer a legitimate biblical punishment due to the fact that Jesus himself said, Let anyone among you who is without sin cast the first stone.

Perhaps there are more of these commandments that have been "null and voided" so to speak, but I just can't think of them right now. None of the churches in my area are even close to being fundamentalists - even the ones who say they are, are very liberal in how they do not teach the women and young ladies how God wants them to be attired, etc. or the men how to stop drinking and smoking and cursing because it isn't appropriate Christian behavior.

What say you guys?

[Jerry80871852]

Reading your post about the many trying to live according to the Bible for 1 year, made me think of this song in our hymn book

You have tried the path of worldly pleasures,
Sought for peace the world can never give,
O be careful where you place your treasures,
You need One to teach you how to live.
Try Jesus, he never fails,
O'er evil His love prevails,
In sunshine or stormy gales,
Try Jesus, He never fails.

Oft your day begins with seeming gladness,
Hope is high in your heart with joy is light,
Shadows fall and darkness brings you sadness.
You need One to banish fears of night
Try Jesus, he never fails,
O'er evil His love prevails,
In sunshine or stormy gales,
Try Jesus, He never fails.

As you walk alone in slience, thinking,
How you meet with failures on the way,
Ere your soul in deep despair is sinking,
You need One whom winds and waves obey.
Try Jesus, he never fails,
O'er evil His love prevails,
In sunshine or stormy gales,
Try Jesus, He never fails.

Time is short, the moments swiftly flying,
Money cannot buy sweet peace within,
You are loing, seaking, groping, sighing,
You need One to cleanse you from your sin.
Try Jesus, he never fails,
O'er evil His love prevails,
In sunshine or stormy gales,
Try Jesus, He never fails.

How in the world can a person try on Jesus like they would a pair of shoes? You either believe in Jesus are your full of unbelief, there is no just trying Jesus. Yes, that man mocked Jesus and His Father too. That's not a good thing to do. But hey, they be many who mock our Father, His Son Jesus our Savior. Since I gave a sermon based on the title to this song, "Try Jesus," our song leader has never sang it again, which is great with me.

Oh, I hope those who mock our wonderful God who had seem fit to show us so much mercy, grace, will repent before its to late and actually accept Jesus as Savior.

Yes, many there be who call their self fundamentalist, conservative, that do not know the meaning of these two words when used in connection with God, Jesus, and the Bible.

[IM4given]

Thanks for you response Bro. Jerry. I know that I am by no means perfect (that's why my online name is "I am forgiven" because it really is impossible to follow every commandment every single day. Jesus stated that if you break even one commandment, then you have broken them all. It took me a really long time to learn what He meant by that, but I think that it means that because we are made human, we are not ever going to be perfect. Only God is perfect. But because we love Jesus, and God our Father, and have assistance from the Holy Spirit, our goal in life is to live for Jesus as much as is humanly possible. God gives us salvation through grace because we aren't perfect yet.

So many churches around here have stop preaching the gospel of heaven and hell, sin and repentance, and true salvation. They think that just sounds "too negative" and people won't come to church if you are going to scold them for not living up to Christian moral standards. They want to come and sing a few praise songs (that never say anything about Jesus, God, etc.) and maybe allow the pastor to speak a little 15 minute feel good about yourself type speech, and then go home and live like the Devil for the other six days a week, and honestly belive that is how a Christian is supposed to be.

[Jerry80871852]

IM4given Wrote:Thanks for you response Bro. Jerry. I know that I am by no means perfect (that's why my online name is "I am forgiven" because it really is impossible to follow every commandment every single day. Jesus stated that if you break even one commandment, then you have broken them all. It took me a really long time to learn what He meant by that, but I think that it means that because we are made human, we are not ever going to be perfect. Only God is perfect. But because we love Jesus, and God our Father, and have assistance from the Holy Spirit, our goal in life is to live for Jesus as much as is humanly possible. God gives us salvation through grace because we aren't perfect yet.

So many churches around here have stop preaching the gospel of heaven and hell, sin and repentance, and true salvation. They think that just sounds "too negative" and people won't come to church if you are going to scold them for not living up to Christian moral standards. They want to come and sing a few praise songs (that never say anything about Jesus, God, etc.) and maybe allow the pastor to speak a little 15 minute feel good about yourself type speech, and then go home and live like the Devil for the other six days a week, and honestly belive that is how a Christian is supposed to be.

I was not pointing that towards you nor no one else, just a thought that hit my mind.

Thanks only to grace Jesus' righteousness is counted for our righteousness.

[George]

I believe there is probably a problem with semantics here. There are not more than 600 "commandments" but there certainly are more than 66 "commands." There is a huge difference. Of course if this fellow actually consulted so many "versions" of the scriptures and a whole lot of so-called Bible scholars they may have him believing there are over 600 "commandments."

In Christ,
Geroge

[Jerry80871852]

There are 613 Old Testament Commandments.

If you have access to a Willimington's Guide to the Bible, it list all of them towards the back under "613 Old Testament Commandments."

Sorry, I should have thought of that earlier and posted it.

[IM4given]

Yes - a lot of people know about the "Ten Commandments" - (or at least have seen the Charlton Heston movie) and a few more may know the Golden Rule Commandment to "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." But very few people actually realize that God gave us 613 commandments to follow. All commandments are equal to one another.

In the RC church I was taught that there were all sorts of sins - some sins were bigger than others. Then thanks to the Lord I studied the Bible and I learned that "sin is sin" and breaking any commandment is committing sin. It is the very definition of sin. So if someone is going to come to the reallization that he or she is a sinner in need of salvation, that someone has to know which sins are being commited (or omitted as the case may be).

[Bro Nobody]

In reality only one...and not only 600 but endless ways to obey, apply and express... "Love the LORD with all..."