The Chief Commandments of the Gospel

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

 

 

1. Every Christian must love God.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment (Matt. 22:37).

If you love Me, keep My commandments (John 14:15).

He who has received My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him also, and will mystically reveal Myself within him (John 14:21).

He who does not love Me does not keep My commandments (John 14:24).

Love Christ, although you have not known Him (1 Pet. 1:8).

He who loves the Father loves also the Son, who was begotten of the Father (1 John 5:1).

2. Every Christian must love his brother, that is, his fellow man.

The second commandment, like the first, is to love your fellow man as you love yourself (Matt. 22:39).

I give you a new commandment: that you love one another. As I have loved you, so also you should love one another (John 13:34).

By this mark all unbelievers will know that you are My disciples: if, that is, you have love among yourselves (John 13:35).

Leave no other debt to anyone, except the love which you owe one another. For he who loves his brother has fulfilled the whole law of God. And this is because “you shall not commit adultery,” “you shall not murder,” “you shall not steal,” [“you shall not bear false witness”], “you shall not covet,” and all the other commandments are summed up and included in this commandment: to love your fellow man as yourself (Rom. 13:8–9).

Love one another with a pure heart (1 Pet. 1:22).

Love your brothers (1 Pet. 2:17).

If God loved us so greatly, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11).

He who does not love his brother is in a state of spiritual death (1 John 3:14).

This is how we have learned what love is: Just as Christ offered His life unto death for our sake, so we also ought to offer even our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16).

My children, let us not love only with words and with the tongue, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).

He who loves God also loves his brother (1 John 4:21).

3. Christians must not have quarrels, nor feel resentment and hatred toward their brothers; but even if they have misunderstandings among themselves, they must quickly be reconciled.

Any Christian who is angry with his brother without reasonable cause is liable to the local court. And whoever says to his brother “raca,” that is, “foolish one,” is liable to the highest court. And whoever says to his brother “idiot,” he shall be condemned to the fire of Gehenna (Matt. 5:22).

If you go to church to offer some gift, and there remember that your brother is grieved with you, leave your gift there before the Church, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:23–24).

Take care to be reconciled quickly with your brother with whom you are in dispute, while you are still on the road of this present life (Matt. 5:25).

If anyone thinks that he may be contentious, let him know that neither I nor the Churches of God have such a custom, that is, to be contentious (1 Cor. 11:16).

The servant of God must not quarrel, but must be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient under evil (2 Tim. 2:24).

Let the setting of the sun never find you angry (Eph. 4:26).

He who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:11).

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has a share in eternal life (1 John 3:15).

4. Christians must not look with curiosity and desire.

I say to you that every man who looks at a woman with evil desire has already almost committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:28).

All that belongs to the world—the sinful egotistical desires, the longing to acquire whatever our eyes see, and the arrogance that comes from the possession of wealth—does not come from God the Father, but from the sinful world. Yet the world passes away and is lost. And together with it are lost all the things which men desire to possess. But he who does the will of God shall live eternally (1 John 2:16–17).

5. Christians must not swear oaths, either truthfully or falsely.

I say to you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, because it is the footstool where His feet rest; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of God, the great King. Nor should you swear by your head, because you cannot make even one hair of it white or black. Let your word simply be “yes” and “no.” Whatever more you say than “yes” and “no” comes from the evil devil (Matt. 5:34–37).

Above all, my brothers, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or by anything else. But let your “yes” be a real “yes,” and your “no” a real “no,” so that you may not be found accused at the final judgment, or so that you may not fall into hypocrisy and falsehood (James 5:12).

6. Christians must not be vengeful, nor repay evil for evil.

I say to you not to resist an evil man. But if someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also, so that he may strike that one too (Matt. 5:39).

If someone wishes to compel you to go one kilometer, go with him two (Matt. 5:41).

Pray for those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and entreat God for those who trouble you and persecute you (Matt. 5:44).

If someone does evil to you, do not repay him for it (Rom. 12:17).

Do not seek, brothers, to defend yourselves by acts of vengeance, but give place to the wrath of God, which will come and take vengeance at the hour of judgment (Rom. 12:19).

If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink (Rom. 12:20).

Do not allow yourself to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by your good conduct (Rom. 12:21).

Do not respond to evil with evil, nor to insult with insult, but rather the opposite: respond to insults with blessings (1 Pet. 3:9).

Beloved, do not take evil as your model, but good. He who does good is a child of God. He who does evil has not known God (3 John 11).

7. Christians must not go to courts at all for the resolution of their disputes. But if such a need should ever arise, let them prefer to appoint as judge in their dispute a man of the Church, rather than resort to secular courts.

If someone wants to take you to court in order to take your coat, let him have your cloak also (Matt. 5:40).

And the very fact alone, brothers, that you have lawsuits among yourselves already constitutes a complete failure on your part. Prefer rather to be wronged and defrauded than to wrong and defraud others, and especially your Christian brothers. Or do you not know that unjust men will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not deceive yourselves: in the kingdom of God there is no place for fornicators, nor lovers of money, nor adulterers, nor effeminate men, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous men, nor drunkards, nor accusers, nor extortioners (1 Cor. 6:7–9).

When someone has a dispute with another Christian, how does he dare to resort to the judgment of unjust secular judges, and not to the judgment and arbitration of the members of our ecclesiastical community? (1 Cor. 6:1).

8. Christians must not condemn.

Do not condemn others, so that you too may not be condemned by God. With the judgment by which you judge, you shall be judged; and with the measure by which you measure, it shall be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the whole beam that is in your own eye? (Matt. 7:1–3).

You are guilty and without defense, O man, you who become a judge of others. For in judging another, you condemn your very own self, since you too do the same evils that he does (Rom. 2:1).

Do not make any judgment, brothers, before the time of the Second Coming of the Lord. He will then cast light upon all the works that are now hidden in darkness, and will reveal the hidden thoughts of men’s hearts (1 Cor. 4:5).

Do not speak evil of and accuse one another, brothers. He who accuses or condemns his brother accuses and condemns the law of God itself. And when you judge the law of God, you are not a keeper and one subject to the law, but its judge and superior. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, Christ, who has the power to save man or to punish him. But who are you who judge another? (James 4:11–12).

9. If Christians do not forgive the faults of their brothers, neither will God forgive their own faults.

If you forgive the faults of other men, your heavenly Father will also forgive your own faults. But if you do not forgive the faults of others, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your own faults (Matt. 6:14–15).

Heavenly Father, forgive us the debts of our sins, as we also forgive our own debtors, that is, those who have wronged us (Matt. 6:12).

“Evil servant, I forgave you all your debt, ten thousand talents, an enormous sum, because you entreated me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, as I had compassion on you, and forgiven him the hundred denarii, an insignificant sum, which he owed you?” And his lord was angered and delivered that servant to the tormentors, until he should repay all his debt. So also will My heavenly Father do to you, if you do not forgive from all your heart the faults of your brothers (Matt. 18:32–35).

When you stand to pray, forgive whatever complaint or grief you have against any brother of yours, so that your heavenly Father may also forgive your own faults (Mark 11:25).

If your brother does you wrong, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him. But even if he wrongs you seven times in the day, and comes back as many times and says to you, “I repent,” forgive him (Luke 17:3–4).

10. Christians must give alms, but also pray and fast; yet not hypocritically, that is, so that men may glorify and praise them, but only for God.

Take care not to do your almsgiving before men, so that they may see and admire you. Otherwise, do not expect a reward from your heavenly Father. Therefore, when you give alms, do it so secretly that your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing (Matt. 6:1, 3).

When you pray, Christian, do not be like the hypocrites, who like to stand and pray ostentatiously in the churches and at the crossroads, in order to show men that they are praying. I assure you that this is their whole reward. You, on the contrary, when you pray, enter into your most hidden place, that is, the heart; close the door, that is, the senses; and pray secretly to your hidden and invisible Father. And He, who sees hidden deeds, will reward you openly (Matt. 6:5–6).

When you fast, do not become gloomy, like the hypocrites, who suitably alter their appearance in order to show men that they are fasting. I assure you that they receive only their reward here, from the praise of men. You, on the contrary, when you fast, care for your hair and wash your face, so as not to show your fasting to men, but only to God your Father, who sees hidden deeds. And your Father, who sees hidden deeds, will repay you openly (Matt. 6:16–18).

11. Christians must care for the acquisition not of earthly treasures, but heavenly ones. And the rich must weep and mourn over their riches, rather than rely on them.

Do not gather riches upon the earth, where moth and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them. Gather heavenly treasures, which neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. For where your riches are, there your heart will also be attached (Matt. 6:19–21).

Woe to you who are rich, because you have your consolation in this world from your wealth, and for this reason there remains nothing for you to enjoy in life (Luke 6:24).

I assure you that a rich man will enter the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty (Matt. 19:23).

Sell your possessions and give alms to the poor. Acquire purses that do not grow old, and riches in heaven that never fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys (Luke 12:33).

Each one of you who does not renounce whatever he has in this life cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33).

Charge the rich of this present world not to be proud, nor to set their hopes on something uncertain, such as wealth, but on the living God, who richly gives us all good things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17).

Listen to me, you rich as well. Weep and mourn for the calamities that await you. Your wealth has rotted, and your garments have been eaten by moths. Your gold and silver have rusted away, and their rust will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. And while judgment is drawing near, you are gathering treasures (James 5:1–3).

Behold, the wages of the workers who harvested your fields cry out, and you have withheld them from them. And the cries of the wronged harvesters have reached the ears of the Almighty Lord (James 5:4).

12. Christians must not be anxious about the goods of the earth, nor love the world and worldly things, but must seek the eternal and heavenly goods.

Do not be anxious, and do not begin to say, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” because only unbelievers are anxious about all these things (Matt. 6:31–32).

Seek first of all the Kingdom of God and the prevalence of His will, and all these things will be given to you by God as a gift, without your asking for them (Matt. 6:33).

This I say to you, brothers: that the time of earthly life is short, so that even those who have wives should live as though they had none, that is, not being attached to them. And those who weep and are afflicted over things of the present world should live as though nothing sorrowful had happened. And those who experience joys should live as though they had no reason to rejoice. And those who buy material things should regard the things bought as though they were not going to enjoy them. And those who are occupied with the goods of this world should avoid every excessive enjoyment of them and be content only with what is necessary. For the present form of this world will not last long, but is continually passing and going away (1 Cor. 7:29–31).

We Christians do not aim at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen with bodily eyes. For the things that are seen are temporary, while the things that are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

We are citizens of heaven, from where we also await our Lord Jesus Christ to come and redeem us (Phil. 3:20).

We Christians do not have our permanent homeland in this world, but long for the future heavenly homeland (Heb. 13:14).

Traitors to the love of God! Do you not know that love for the sinful world is enmity against God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4).

Beloved, do not love the world, nor the things that are of the world. If someone loves the world, he does not have within him love for the heavenly Father (1 John 2:15).

13. Christians must not be proud, but must be humble and love humble things.

Whoever humbles himself like this little child, he is the greatest of all in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 18:4).

Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled. And whoever humbles himself shall be exalted (Matt. 23:12).

Brothers, do not be conceited, but condescend to simple and humble Christians, and associate with them, sharing in their lowliness (Rom. 12:16).

With humility let each regard the other as superior to himself (Phil. 2:3).

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:10).

Let the younger submit to the elders. And all of you together, submitting yourselves to one another, gird yourselves with humility. For God resists the proud, but gives His grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the power of God, so that He may exalt you at the hour of judgment (1 Pet. 5:5–6).

14. Christians must face with patience all the afflictions that befall them.

He who endures trials to the end, he alone shall be saved (Matt. 24:13).

By your patience you shall save your souls (Luke 21:19).

Affliction gradually brings about patience, patience brings steadfastness in virtue, and steadfastness in virtue brings hope in God (Rom. 5:3–4).

Have patience in trials (Rom. 12:11).

If we show patience in afflictions, we shall reign together with Christ in the life to come (2 Tim. 2:12).

Pursue patience (1 Tim. 6:11).

Brothers, endure with fortitude every chastening of God, knowing that God treats you as His children (Heb. 12:7).

You need patience, so that you may steadily do the will of God and receive the reward which He promised you (Heb. 10:36).

With patience let us run the contest that lies before us (Heb. 12:1).

Blessed is the Christian who bears trials with patience, because, after he has successfully undergone the trials, he will gain the prize of eternal life, which God promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

Let your patience be unshaken and enduring, so that you may become perfect and complete and lack nothing (James 1:4).

Do whatever you can, brothers, to add patience to self-control, and to patience add piety (2 Pet. 1:6).

Here the patience of those who belong to the people of God will be revealed (Rev. 14:12).

15. Christians must not surrender themselves to worldly cares and material pleasures, nor live with negligence and spiritual sloth, but must always be in spiritual watchfulness and readiness, awaiting the hour of death and of God’s judgment.

Keep watch, because you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. And know this: if the owner of a house knew at what hour of the night the thief would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him (Matt. 24:42–44).

I say it to all of you: Keep watch! (Mark 13:37).

Watch and pray, so that temptation may not overcome you. Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak (Mark 14:38).

Let your waist be well girded, that is, be ready, and let your lamps always be burning, that is, let your mind and heart always be in attentiveness and watchfulness. Be like those servants who are waiting for their lord to return from the wedding celebration, so that, as soon as he comes and knocks at the door, they may immediately open to him. Blessed are those servants whom their lord, when he comes, will find keeping watch and waiting for him (Luke 12:35–37).

Take good heed to yourselves. Take care not to surrender yourselves to dissipation and drunkenness and anxiety over daily needs, because your hearts will become heavy and drowsy from these things, and the day of judgment will thus overtake you suddenly. For it will come like a snare upon all men who dwell on the earth. Therefore be watchful and attentive, entreating God at every hour and moment to count you worthy to escape all the fearful things that are about to happen, and to stand ready before the Son of Man (Luke 21:34–36).

The hour has now come for us to rise from the sleep of negligence, brothers. For now final salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. The night of earthly life is already passing away, and the day of the future eternal life is drawing near (Rom. 13:11–12).

Rise up, you who sleep the sleep of sin, and arise from spiritual deadness, and Christ will enlighten you (Eph. 5:14).

Let us not sleep, as the others do, but let us be watchful and attentive. Those who sleep, sleep at night. And those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But we Christians, as people of the day, let us be attentive (1 Thess. 5:6–8).

Do not extinguish through negligence the gifts of the Holy Spirit which you have (1 Thess. 5:19).

Do not be slothful in whatever requires eagerness and zeal. Have fervent spiritual enthusiasm; serve the Lord with devotion (Rom. 12:11).

You have lived upon the earth with pleasures and extravagance. You have fattened your hearts like fattened animals that are being prepared for slaughter. So also for you the day of judgment will be a day of slaughter (James 5:5).

Be attentive and watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour one of you who stand firm in the faith (1 Pet. 5:8).

Keep watch!… For if you do not keep watch, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to judge you (Rev. 3:2–3).

16. Christians must repent continually from the depths of their soul.

At that time John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, preaching and saying: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” (Matt. 3:1–2).

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” (Matt. 4:17).

If you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way (Luke 13:3).

Repent, brothers, and return to God, so that your sins may be blotted out and you may find relief from the Lord (Acts 3:19).

Repent and do again the former good works which you used to do. Otherwise, if you do not repent, I am coming quickly against you, and I will remove your lampstand, that is, your Church, from its place (Rev. 2:5).

17. Christians, if they do not surpass the righteous of the Old Testament in good works, do not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And if they sin, they will be punished more severely than unbelievers.

If your piety does not surpass the piety of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:20).

That servant who knows what his lord’s will is, but does not prepare or do what he wants, will be punished severely. On the contrary, he who does not know his lord’s will and does something worthy of punishment will be punished more lightly. For to whom much was given, much will be required; and to whom more was given, more will be required (Luke 12:47–48).

Those who sinned without knowing the law of God will be condemned not according to the law as the criterion, that is, more lightly. But those who sinned while knowing the law will be judged according to the law as the criterion, that is, more severely (Rom. 2:12).

It would have been better for them not to have known the path of virtue and piety than, after coming to know it, to abandon the holy commandment that was delivered to them (2 Pet. 2:21).

 

Greek source: https://imlp.gr/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Kyrioteres.pdf