The Old Testament, a major division in the Bible, contains more than 700 laws dictating everything from food choices to what is acceptable in clothing to laws of moral conduct. The most famous of these is the 10 Commandments, handed down from God to Moses on Mt. Saini. These stated that (Exodus 20:1-17):
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.
Most of the Hebrews found it impossible to keep all of the laws. In fact, before Moses came down the mountain with the laws, the Hebrews had violated the first law by making calves out of gold and worshipping them (Exodus 32:1-1).
In the New Testament, Jesus simplified these laws. He stated that all of the law can be boiled down to this: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27).
But that He came to fulfill the law: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” he law (Matthew 5:17-18).
Only the Son of God could make such a claim.
When it comes to the rules in the Bible, there are many unique and different kinds listed. Yet, there are two distinct examples where scholars and teachers reference. The first example would be in the Ten Commandments located in the Old Testament in the book of Exodus 20:3-17. Moses is in the middle of leading or better yet, attempting to lead the Israelites who were released from slavery by the Egyptians.
God calls Moses up to Mount Sinai to help give him a set of good ground rules for the Israelites to follow to help build their entire civilization around. They are as follows, according to the NIV translation of the Bible.
1) “You shall have no other gods before me."
2) "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."
3) "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
4) "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."
5) "Honor your father and your mother."
6) "You shall not murder."
7) "You shall not commit adultery."
8) "You shall not steal."
9) "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."
10) "You shall not covet."
The next example where rules in the Bible are found is in the New Testament, from the mouth of Jesus himself. This can be found in the book of Matthew 22:36-40. He is asked what is the greatest commandment in the entire law? His answer is as follows, according to the NIV translation.
"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus is essentially saying before anything else love God, love yourself, and from that love, you will be able to love your neighbor. For everything else you do stems from this.
Many popular conceptions of the Bible place it as a book of rules. While there certainly are many found in its pages - especially in the Old Testament - these are not the primary message according to the Bible itself. Rather, they have a place within the "redemptive history" of the Bible - the story of redemption following the original sin of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden which finds its peak in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The laws in the Bible fit into this history mainly in the first five books, known as the Pentateuch. Leviticus and Deuteronomy especially list many regulations for the nation of Israel with the goal of keeping the nation "righteous," or blameless before a perfect God. The laws were meant to be a guide for a sinful nation to steer clear of sin, but also to appease the wrath of God after sins were committed. These laws can be grouped into three categories: Ceremonial (relating to worship), Civil (relating to governance), and Moral (relating to personal holiness).
While there are hundreds of laws found in the Old Testament, the main group that people think of when they think of the Bible is the Ten Commandments found in Exodus and Deuteronomy. They are as follows:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.
In the New Testament, Jesus later sums up all the laws in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as follows:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus also claims to fulfill the Old Testament laws in himself. He fulfills the three types mentioned above in the following ways:
1. Ceremonial: Through his death on the cross, Jesus paid the blood-penalty owed for sin. This is known as substitutionary atonement (Romans 3:23-25).
2. Civil: Jesus obeyed the laws of the Roman government above him, including famously paying taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:21).
3. Moral: Many examples could be given, but one here would be Jesus' refusal to choose wealth and power over obedience to God when tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
Before identifying “all of the rules” in the Bible, it’s necessary to understand what the Bible is. Universally, the Bible is recognized as a book containing records of people who received divine manifestations. Those people recorded, or had scribes record, those sacred events. The Hebrew Bible contains the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (all in the Old Testament). While the Gospels, the Acts, epistles, and John’s Revelation are all in the New Testament. They are complied into a single anthology, called the Bible. The word Bible comes from the Greek ta biblia – “the books.”
The Bible is comprised of two separate sections, named testaments. The Old Testament books were written entirely in the Hebrew language. The word testament, in Hebrew, means “covenant” and represents the old covenant law given to Moses. The New Testament books were written in Greek, and contain accounts of the life of Jesus, representing the new covenant – the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament contains the “rules” given to the children of Israel – the Jews. The Israelites had an entire collection of “rules” – or laws – given them through the prophet, Moses. The written collection of laws was called the Law of Moses. While the Ten Commandments are part of the Law of Moses, there were also basic gospel laws given, such as faith, repentance, baptism, and certain rituals and ceremonies, including animal blood sacrifice. The Israelites had a difficult time living the Law of Moses, and wandered in the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience to God. Many of the rules are contained in Exodus, but they are also sprinkled throughout the entire Old Testament.
The New Testament contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. During his earthly ministry, Jesus taught His gospel to the Jews. Because the Jews had strayed from the original commandments and laws, Jesus’ gospel was a new testament – or covenant – to them. Jesus introduced two additional “rules” – commandments – to the Jews. He told them to love God, and to love each other, as He had loved them. Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice atones for sins, and His atoning sacrifice brought an end to the old law of blood sacrifice, and introduced the new laws – covenants – of loving God, and loving one another, as He loved them. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all reference the commandments taught by Jesus.
In summary, there are Ten Commandments from the Old Testament – the lesser laws (or covenants), and two additional commandments from the New Testament – the higher laws (or covenants). Search both testaments to discover all of the “rules” given.
The Bible contains an abundance of rules, but you will find that the Ten Commandments are a good starting place for answering this question. Fundamental in Judaism and present in both Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible, these commandments were first spoken by God, then later inscribed upon stone and given to Moses to bring down from Mount Sinai to his people (Exodus 20:1, 31:18). The Ten Commandments, listed in Exodus 20:3-17, can be briefly summed up as follows:
Have no other gods
Do not make or worship idols
Do not misuse the name of the Lord
Remember and keep the Sabbath day holy
Honor your father and mother
Do not murder
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not give false testimony
Do not covet
Following the verses in Exodus in which the commandments are revealed are additional guidelines for the Hebrew people concerning various aspects of life, including laws, religious observances, and specific instructions for building a tabernacle and preparing priests to serve within it.
For a New Testament answer to your question, consider Matthew 22:34-40, in which Jesus is asked by an expert in Jewish law to reveal the greatest commandment. Jesus' response is "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." While it is not possible to list every rule included in the Bible, Jesus considered these two commands to be the starting point from which all the other rules stem, thus these verses are a simple and accurate answer to your question, summing up much of what is commanded within the Bible.
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