Jesus requires compliance with God's law
God's law is summed up in the umbrella policy stated in Matthew 22:37-40, and Mark 12:28-31: Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
God's law is further stated in the Ten Commandments, and in the directions and guides throughout the Bible.
Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-35 (NIV) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22.Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23."Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24.As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25.Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26."The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'
27.The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
28."But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29."His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30."But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
31.When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32."Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
33.Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34.In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35."This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20.and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32.All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33.He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34."Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35.For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36.I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37."Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38.When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39.When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40."The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41."Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42.For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43.I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44."They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45."He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46."Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Luke 19:8-9 (NIV) But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."
9.Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
John 13:34-35 (NIV) "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35.By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 14:21-23 (NIV) Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22.Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23.Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
John 15:9-10 (NIV) "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10.If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. Salvation requires more than "lip service."
Matthew 7:21 (NIV) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 21:28-32 (NIV) "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
29."'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30."Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.
31."Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
32.For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Luke 6:46-49 (NIV) "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
47.I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
48.He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
49.But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
Romans 2:13 (NIV) For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
James 1:22-25 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23.Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
24.and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25.But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
1 John 2:3-6 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
4.The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5.But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
6.Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
It is impossible for man to be saved without God.
Matthew 19:24-26 (NIV) Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25.When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26.Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."