Blog · Oct. 22, 2026

"Nobody Can Keep 613 Laws!" What 1 John 5:3 Says About the Commands

"Nobody Can Keep 613 Laws!" What 1 John 5:3 Says About the Commands

"For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy." (1 John 5:3, TS2009)

The Objection We All Hear

If you've started keeping the Sabbath, eating clean, or celebrating the feasts, you've probably heard it from a pastor, a friend, or a family member who loves you: "There are 613 laws in the Old Testament. Nobody can possibly keep all of them. That's why Jesus came, so we don't have to."

I understand that objection. I used to say it myself. Before I became Torah observant, I was taught that the Law was a crushing burden that ended at the cross. So I don't write this to argue with anyone. I write it because I believe Scripture paints a much more beautiful picture than "613 impossible rules."

Where Does "613" Come From?

First, a little background. The word Torah is usually translated "law," but it's richer than that. It means instruction or teaching, like a loving father's guidance to his children. (I unpack this more in What Torah Is, And Isn't.)

The number 613 isn't stated anywhere in the Bible. It comes from Jewish tradition. The Talmud records a teaching that 613 commands were given to Moses, 365 "do not" commands and 248 "do" commands (Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 23b, teaching of Rabbi Simlai). Centuries later, scholars like Maimonides (Rambam) made lists of them. The count is a helpful way to organize the commands, but it isn't Scripture itself, and the lists don't even agree on every item.

John Said They Are Not Heavy

Here's what the apostle John, who walked with Yeshua (Jesus), wrote decades after the resurrection:

"By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and guard His commands. For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy." (1 John 5:2–3, TS2009)

Elohim is the Hebrew word for God. Notice John didn't say the commands were abolished. He said they're not heavy. That's the same thing Moses told Israel long before:

"For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off." (Deuteronomy 30:11, TS2009)

"For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it." (Deuteronomy 30:14, TS2009)

And it's what Yeshua Himself said:

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I shall give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings. For My yoke is gentle and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28–30, TS2009)

Moses, Yeshua and John all agree. If the commands feel impossible, maybe the problem is how we've been taught to look at them.

Nobody Was Ever Asked to Keep All 613

This is the part that surprised me most when I started studying. No single person in Israel was ever expected to keep all 613 commands, because many of them don't apply to everyone. A large share fall into categories like these:

  • The priests and Levites. Many commands cover sacrifices, priestly garments, and temple service. They apply to the sons of Aaron, not to every Israelite.
  • The temple and the altar. Commands about offerings and the sanctuary can't be done when there is no temple standing.
  • The land of Israel. Laws about the sabbatical year, gleanings and first fruits of the land apply to those farming in the land.
  • The courts and the king. Some commands are addressed to judges, a Sanhedrin, or a king, not to private individuals.
  • Men or women only. Some commands apply only to men, and some only to women.
  • Specific situations. If you never own an ox, borrow money, or find a lost donkey, those commands may never come up for you.

When you set these aside, the number of commands that apply to an ordinary believer's daily life is much smaller. And they're the kind of things you'd expect from a loving Father: love Him with all your heart, keep His Sabbath, honor your parents, don't steal or lie, be honest in business, care for the stranger, the widow and the orphan, and eat what He calls food.

Love, Not Legalism

Yeshua put it simply: "If you love Me, you shall guard My commands" (John 14:15, TS2009). Obedience isn't how we earn salvation. It's how love answers grace. A child doesn't obey a good father to become his child. He obeys because he already is one.

John says it again: "And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands" (1 John 2:3, TS2009). And Paul, so often quoted against the Torah, wrote: "Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah" (Romans 3:31, TS2009).

Yeshua also said He did not come to destroy the Torah (Matthew 5:17). I go deeper into that in Why Jesus Could Not End The Law.

Wisdom for the Nations

Moses told Israel that keeping the commands would be a witness to the world:

"And you shall guard and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples who hear all these laws, and they shall say, 'Only a wise and understanding people is this great nation!'" (Deuteronomy 4:6, TS2009)

God's instructions were never meant to crush us. They show the world what He is like.

Start Where You Are

If you're new to this, please don't panic over a list of 613. Nobody grows up overnight. Start with what's in front of you: maybe the Sabbath, maybe clean eating, maybe simply reading the Torah portion each week. Ask Yehovah (YHVH) to write His instructions on your heart, as He promised in the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33). You'll find what John found. His commands are not heavy.

🎧 Want to go deeper? Listen to the episode The 613 Commands and Is Torah (The Law) Relevant To Christians? on Torah Awakenings.

Shalom, and Yehovah bless you.

Scripture quotations from The Scriptures (TS2009), copyright Institute for Scripture Research. Used by permission.

Sources

Scripture (TS2009, verified on YouVersion, version 316) - 1 John 5:2–3: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/1JN.5.TS2009 - 1 John 2:3: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/1JN.2.TS2009 - Deuteronomy 30:11, 30:14: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/DEU.30.TS2009 - Deuteronomy 4:6: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/DEU.4.TS2009 - Matthew 11:28–30: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/MAT.11.TS2009 - John 14:15: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/JHN.14.TS2009 - Romans 3:31: https://www.bible.com/bible/316/ROM.3.TS2009

Other - Babylonian Talmud, Makkot 23b (Sefaria segment Makkot 23b:18), William Davidson Edition English: "Rabbi Simlai taught: There were 613 mitzvot stated to Moses in the Torah, consisting of 365 prohibitions corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive mitzvot corresponding to the number of a person's limbs." https://www.sefaria.org/Makkot.23b.18 - Maimonides (Rambam), Sefer HaMitzvot (list of 248 positive / 365 negative commands). Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_HaMitzvot - Torah Awakenings blog: "What Torah Is, And Isn't" (/blog/what-torah-is-and-isnt/); "Why Jesus Could Not End The Law" (/blog/why-jesus-could-not-end-the-law/). - Torah Awakenings episodes: "The 613 Commands" (Jun 7, 2020), "Is Torah (The Law) Relevant To Christians?" (May 31, 2020).

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