The intention of this document is not to tell anybody what to do but merely to highlight a whole lot of instructions that Jesus and the apostles gave to their listeners or readers. Most Christians will have read the relevant passages of the Bible one or more times but, since almost everyone is prone to forgetfulness, self-centredness and self-justification I am happy to provide this brief reminder. I find it useful when I am in an introspective mood and examining my own motives and actions; I also generally find that my motives are nowhere near as pure and wholesome as I would like to think that they are ... In fact whenever I am in an arrogant mood and thinking what a great person I am, a quick perusal of this list swiftly puts me back in touch with the less than glittering truth!
In the following table I have attempted to fairly represent some of the instructions that are given to Christians. I have listed only some of the most basic commands; those that are clearly given as commands and are not extrapolated from the text by complex interpretation. The listed commands have been chosen more or less at random; there are other simple commands that are not listed or represented here.
| Scripture section | Commands |
| Matthew 5 | Settle disputes before you get to court. Let your "yes" mean yes, and your "no", no. Love your enemy Pray for those who persecute you |
| Matthew 6 | Do not seek honour from men when performing "acts of righteousness"
such as praying, giving and fasting. Do not store up treasure on earth. Do not worry about food, drink or clothes. |
| Matthew 7 | Do to others as you would have them do to you. |
| Matthew 10 | Give freely. |
| Luke 6 | Lend to your enemies without expecting to get anything back.
Be merciful. If someone takes what belongs to you, do not ask for it back. |
| John 13 | Wash one another's feet. |
| Romans 12:3 | Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought ... |
| Romans 12:9-21 | ... Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the lord. Be joyful in hope. Be patient in affliction. Be faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Give food and drink to your enemies. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. |
| Romans 13 | Submit to the governing authorities. Give to each person whatever it is that you owe that person: taxes, revenue, respect, honour. Do not let any debt remain outstanding except for the continuing debt to love one another. |
| Romans 14 | Love one another. Behave decently. So not participate in orgies. Do not get drunk. Do not participate in immoral sexual acts. Do not engage in dissension, jealousy or debauchery. Do not think about how to gratify the desires of your sinful nature - your wrong, immoral or evil desires. Make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification. |
| 2 Corinthians 6:14 | Do not be yoked together with unbelievers |
| 2 Corinthians 13:11 | Aim for perfection |
| Ephesians 4 | Do not tell lies If you are angry, resolve the matter before then end of the day Do not steal. Only say what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. Do not be bitter. Do not brawl. Do not slander. Be kind to one another. Be compassionate to one another. Forgive one another |
| Ephesians 5 | Imitate God. Live a life of love. Do not be greedy. Do not be even slightly sexually immoral. Do not be obscene. Do not make coarse jokes. Be thankful and express it. Live wisely. |
| Hebrews 12 | Make every effort to live in peace with all men. Make every effort to be holy; without holiness nobody will see the Lord. |
| Hebrews 13 | Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers. Avoid the love of money. Be content with what you have. Do good and share with others. |
| 1 Peter | Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. |
| Phillipians 4 | Put into practice what you have learned [from Paul]. |
| James 1 | Be quick to listen. Be slow to speak. Be slow to become angry. Consider trials to be pure joy. |
| James 4 | Do not slander one another. Do not boast about what you are going to do in the future — you do not know what is going to happen. |
| James 5 | Be patient. Do not grumble against one another. If you are in trouble, pray. If you are happy, sing songs of praise. If you are sick, call the elders of the church to pray over you and anoint you with oil so that you may recover. Confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another. |
More or less every time peruse this list I groan inwardly, sometimes at what I had forgotton, and sometimes or at what these text expect me to do, that I do not want to do.