What is the Law of Christ?

Paul told the Christians in Galatia to carry each other's burdens, and in doing so they would fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2)

In Acts 3:22 Peter told the people concerning Jesus the Messiah and what Moses said:

 "For Moses said, 'The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you."  (See Duet. 18:15, 18)

What is the law of Christ? 

I believe the law of Christ is the body of commands and teachings concerning the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught his disciples, which includes the new commandment he gave (John 13:34), and they in turn were to teach every new disciple. (Matt. 28:20) 

Paul equated Christ's law to God's law. 

"To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law." 1 Cor. 9:21

Paul also said such things as:

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Col. 3:16)

What is the word of Christ?

I believe it is the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. This Gospel of the Kingdom is the key to God’s immortality plan for all mankind - who believe this Gospel.  

I have heard people try to get away with what Jesus taught by claiming it belongs to another dispensation in the future; that what Christ taught cannot be applied doctrinally to the Christians in our day.

The word "doctrine" simply means "teaching or instruction.”

2 John 1:9 says:

"Everyone going beyond the teaching of the Christ and not remaining in it does not have God. Whoever remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”

As one author has well stated,

"It seems strange that men should forbid Jesus the privilege of teaching, during His earthly ministry, and great principles governing man's relation to God - not only during the few remaining days of His brief earthly ministry, but throughout the age to follow, for which He was even then preparing His disciples. It seems even stranger that men who so easily reject much of our Lord's later teaching as 'not applicable to the present dispensation' do not hesitate to accept much of His earliest teaching (to Nicodemus, for example) as being fully applicable to the present age. (One friend, in conversation with the author, even denied that our Lord's words in John 15 have any bearing on the question of our relation to Christ today, since they were spoken 'before Calvary' - a few hours! What delicate, fragile hairs skilled 'rightly dividers' can sometimes neatly split with one swift, sure stroke of their hermeneutical broadaxe!)

It is true that Jesus made reference to certain legal and ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic economy which are not applicable today. But it is also true that He enunciated cardinal principles governing man's spiritual relation to God which are as valid today as the moment of utterance. One of these principles, according to His teaching in the Parable of the Law of Forgiveness, is that true repentance toward God is inseparably associated with our attitude toward our fellow men and cannot exist apart from a charitable, forgiving spirit toward others.

Such true repentance, like sincere faith and the faithful retention of the saving word of the Gospel, is necessary, not merely for a fleeting moment at the occasion of one's conversion, but continually and habitually, as an essential condition of forgiveness and salvation. 'So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you,' warned Jesus, 'if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.' It is possible, warned Jesus, that Peter and others who have known the forgiving grace of God might forfeit that forgiveness. The forgiving grace of God cannot dwell in bitter, unforgiving hearts. He who refuses to forgive his brother has no real sense of need for the forgiveness of God and no just claim on His gracious forgiveness. 'Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.'"

What does Jesus expect from us?

Jesus said if we love him, keep his commandments (John 14:15). If we want to inherit the kingdom to come, it would do us well to obey Jesus because we believe his message and love him.

We are to abide in the doctrine (teaching) of Christ. When we abide in the doctrine of Christ, we are fulfilling the law of Christ and it shows that we have both the Father and the Son. 

"Everyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God; whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." 2 John 1:9

God's will is expressed in the law of Christ because the teachings of Jesus come from the Father.

The law of Christ is anything Jesus taught and is considered the will of the Father. (Matt. 12:50)  He said his teaching was not his own, but comes from the Father. (John 7:16-17; John 8:28; John 12:49-50; John 14:10; John 14:24; John 14:31) 

Jesus said:

"Everyone who hears these words of mine and continues putting them into practice is like a thoughtful man who built his house on the solid rock..."  Matt. 7:24

Jesus obeyed the Father perfectly. Everything Jesus did was the will of his Father.  Jesus said to his disciples, "Teach them to obey all that I commanded you. By teaching others to obey all that Jesus commanded, is teaching the will of God.

What is in our hearts?

When one starts talking about how we should obey Jesus, immediately the cry is, "You are teaching a works salvation!" People can think what they want to for it seems most do not understand that throughout both Testaments God wants people to forsake wickedness. Jesus told people to "go and sin no more," and Paul said, "Awake to righteousness and sin not!" But there are those who say you can keep sinning and never die (the same lie from the Garden).

The purity of our actions comes from the heart. Jesus called the teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites. They were beautiful on the outside, but inside were full of dead men's bones. People, from the outside, can appear as righteous but inside are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matt. 23:28), because it doesn’t take long, under certain conditions, that will expose what is truly in their heart.

It is from out of the heart that proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matt. 15:19). Jesus is not looking just for external actions to be pure, but his desire is for us to be pure in heart.  (Matt. 5:8)

Disobedience is manifested in unbelief.

"Whoever puts his trust in the Son has perfect life of the age to come.  The one who will not obey the Son will not see perfect life, but God's justified anger hangs over him." John 3:36

"And to whom did He swear that they wouldn't enter His rest, if  not to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb. 3:18-19)

So if we are disobedient, sinning everyday in thought, word, and deed, we are walking in unbelief.

Will the holy spirit be given to those who do not obey Jesus - who claim to continually sin everyday in thought, word, and deed?

The holy spirit, the power from on high, will be given to those who obey God. 

And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the holy spirit which God has given to those who practice obedience to Him." Acts 5:32

Jesus' love is conditional?

Note the condition in the words of Jesus,

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love. (John 15:10)

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:14)

If we abide in the teachings of Christ, we are his disciples.

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

We are assured by Jesus we will never see death if we keep his word.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word [that is, the gospel Jesus preached…"who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10] he shall never see death." John 8:51

Just as blessings were promised for obedience to the law of Moses, so are the blessings promised to us based on our obedience to Christ.

"And after he was made perfect, he became the source of immortality in the age to come to all who obey him.” (Heb. 5:9)

Our inheritance of the kingdom of God yet to come cannot be entered without a relationship and obedience to Christ. He tells people to forsake their sins and follow him. Jesus began his ministry by telling others to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand; it was his main purpose for which he was sent - to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God:

"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."  Luke 4:43

and commanded his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all that he commanded.  We are to prepare ourselves if we desire to enter into the coming Kingdom here on earth where Christ will rule and reign.

Remember what Moses said,

 "...The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you." 

Those who have a true saving faith in Christ will obey his teachings and commands. Obedience is natural evidence of saving faith. Jesus never asks us to do something we cannot do. If we love Jesus, we will obey him, and to obey him is fulfilling the law of Christ.