As a biblical scholar, I can tell you that the Bible does not have an 11th commandment. The Ten Commandments, which are the foundation of Jewish and Christian ethics, are found in the Old Testament, specifically in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. They are a set of moral guidelines that were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The Ten Commandments cover a range of moral issues, including worship of one God, respect for God's name, observance of the Sabbath, honoring one's parents, and prohibitions against murder, adultery, theft, dishonesty, and coveting. These commandments have been a cornerstone of Western civilization and continue to influence moral and legal systems around the world.

However, the reference to the "New Commandment" you mentioned is indeed a significant teaching in the New Testament. In John 13:34, Jesus said to his disciples, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." This commandment is not an addition to the Ten Commandments but rather a reinterpretation and extension of the principle of love that is central to the entire Bible.

The New Commandment is a call to a higher standard of love, one that is modeled after the selfless love that Jesus showed for humanity. It is a love that is sacrificial and unconditional, a love that is willing to lay down one's life for friends, as Jesus did on the cross. This commandment is not about creating new rules but about embodying the essence of Jesus' teachings and living them out in daily life.

The New Commandment is also closely tied to the two greatest commandments that Jesus summarized in Matthew 22:37-40, where he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." These two commandments, love for God and love for neighbor, encompass all the others and form the heart of Jesus' teachings.

In essence, the New Commandment is not a new set of laws but a new way of being in relationship with God and with one another. It is a call to live out the love of Christ in our actions and attitudes, to be a reflection of God's love in the world. It is a commandment that challenges us to love as Jesus loved, to serve as he served, and to be a testament to the transformative power of love in all our interactions.

In conclusion, while there is no 11th commandment in the traditional sense, the New Commandment given by Jesus in the New Testament is a profound teaching that invites us to live a life of love, just as he loved us. It is a call to embody the love of Christ in all aspects of our lives, to be a living testament to the power of love to change the world.

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The Eleventh Commandment (Ronald Reagan): "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."read more >>