Seven Imperatives to Salvation
By Jean-Philippe Gabriel — frameworklove.com | January 17, 2026
Christianity is not easy. At times, it feels like asking, “What must I do so I can be done?” Why couldn’t Jesus just answer the question plainly and give us the list?
That frustration is understandable. It helps explain why so many people cling to Paul. Paul sounds clearer. He gives categories, warnings, boundaries. And yet, even Paul—after careful assertions—undermines every attempt at certainty with lines like: “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial.” So where does that leave us?
If we want to understand Christianity—not just through Paul, but through the whole of Scripture—we have to ask a simpler, more honest question: What did Jesus actually say was required?
When we do that, something surprising happens. Jesus does give clear instruction—but not in the way law gives clarity. He gives orientation, not regulation.
There are seven unambiguous imperatives Jesus gives that frame what salvation looks like.
1. “Repent”
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Repentance (metanoia) is not rule-keeping.
It is a change of mind, direction, and orientation.
Turn toward God—not merely away from behavior.
2. “Follow me”
Repeated constantly.
This is relational, not procedural.
Repentance is framed as movement, not moral bookkeeping.
3. “Love God… and love your neighbor”
“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Here, Jesus explicitly subordinates all moral clarity to love.
Nothing else is allowed to override it.
4. “Go, and sin no more”
Sin is named both legally and relationally—defined by harm.
And it is always spoken after mercy, never as a prerequisite.
It means: do not return to what destroys you or others.
5. “Forgive”
“Forgive seventy-seven times.”
Jesus makes forgiveness non-negotiable.
This is one of the few teachings with direct consequences attached.
6. “Do not judge”
“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged.”
Here, judgment functions as the mirror—not of law, but of love—revealing whether repentance has become movement, and movement has become mercy.
7. “Give to the poor”
Repeated across parables and direct teaching. Harm, neglect, and indifference are treated far more seriously than any legal category.
What’s striking
Jesus is not clear in the way legal systems are clear. There is no inventory of do’s and don’ts, no exhaustive catalog of behaviors, no detailed articulation of boundaries. His clarity is philosophical—and more demanding—than that. He speaks directionally, like a guide forming posture and orientation rather than drawing lines.
Turn toward God. Follow me. Love. Forgive. Stop harming. Refuse final judgment. Care for those in need.
Yes, it begins with repentance. But repentance, in His teaching, is not “three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.” It is simpler and harder than that: turn toward love, follow my lead, and do as I did.
It means learning to listen, to heal, to forgive, and to advocate for the oppressed and the misunderstood. It means becoming aware of the harm you cause—your words, your impact—while refusing to claim the authority to judge. Sometimes, it means simply showing up and help.
That is the clarity Jesus offers—and it is far more demanding than law.