Discipleship is what the Christian life is all about. But how do we know when we are true disciples? And how do we know when we have trained someone else to be a disciple?

After searching for many years, I finally discovered the answer. It is right in the Great Commission: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). So what were all the commands of Jesus? A survey of the Gospels will produce about 49 general commands that every believer should follow. This, then, is the curriculum for carrying out the Great Commission and being a disciple.

What does it mean to keep Christ’s commands?

The Greek word translated keep is tereo, which means “to guard, to watch, to observe closely, to hold fast.” This same word is used to describe the care that the Philippian jailer was to exercise in keeping Paul and Silas from escaping.

During the times of wind-driven ships, navigators would use the phrase keeping the stars. This meant that they would use the stars to chart a course across the ocean. This is precisely how the commands of Christ are to be used: as dependable lights for charting a course throughout life.

The Awesome Rewards of Keeping Christ’s Commands

The great importance of keeping all of Christ’s commands before our eyes is indicated by the marvelous rewards He promises to those who do it. Notice the foundational areas of the Christian life and of our relationship to the Lord that result from keeping His commandments.

Showing Our Love for Christ

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Abiding in God’s Love

“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).

Perfecting God’s Love

“Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (I John 2:5).

Having God Live Within Us

“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

Experiencing God’s Love

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father…” (John 14:21).

Knowing Christ Intimately

“…And I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (I John 2:3).

Being a Truthful Witness

“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (I John 2:4).

Being a Friend of Jesus

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants… for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:14–15).

Having All Prayers Answered

“Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I John 3:22).

Bearing Much Fruit

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (John 15:7–8).

Being Joyful at All Times

“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).

Cleansing the Heart and Soul

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you” (John 15:3–4). “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17).

Loving One Another

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (I John 5:2–3).

Being a True Disciple

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35).

Demonstrating Ultimate Love

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13).

Obeying the Great Commission

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

How Christ’s Commands Relate to Character

When we realized that there were about 49 commands of Christ, we wondered if there was any correlation between Christ’s commands and the character qualities that we have been emphasizing over the years. First we matched the obvious ones, then the ones that had a direct or indirect relationship. To our amazement, every command of Christ could be correlated with every character quality.

In each case, the character quality enhanced and deepened the message of the command of Christ and revealed the spirit in which the command was to be lived out. This relationship should not have been a surprise, because Jesus Christ is the personification of all true character and His character is the goal and result of being conformed to His image. In the phrase express image of Christ, the Greek word used for image is charakter. (See Hebrews 1:3.)

Throughout Scripture, the commands of Christ and the related character qualities are intertwined. The development of the character of Christ is the objective of all the things that God allows to happen to us and should be our goal as we seek to encourage one another. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…. To be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:28–29).

What are 49 ways to love God and others?