"The Commandments of Jesus Christ," a little spiritual gem

Could you list the commandments of Jesus Christ? Most Christians, if asked, would recite the Ten Commandments of the Law of Moses without hesitation. But few would know how to answer that other, far less obvious question: What exactly did Jesus command those who chose to follow him to do? From this gap—which, curiously, is widespread among practicing believers—arises The Commandments of Jesus Christ, the new book by Miguel González de Ponshierro, now available on Amazon.

A simple, almost uncomfortable idea

The book begins with a true story: at a conference on Christian living, the speaker describes an honest, generous man who is devoted to his family and has no apparent vices, and asks the audience if they consider him a good Christian. Almost everyone answers yes. The surprise comes when it is revealed that this exemplary man is, in fact, a practicing Jew: he observes the Law of Moses, but has never heard of the commandments of Jesus Christ.

Based on that distinction—between the Old Covenant and the New—the author constructs a journey that combines personal narrative, conversations among friends, and, above all, an exploration of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament to compile a list of fifty precepts drawn from Jesus’ own words, organized into three sections: our relationship with God, our relationship with fellow believers, and our relationship with the world.

In all, no fewer than 50 commandments are outlined, which spell out the 10 Commandments from the Tablets of the Law for Christians.

What's New

In a spiritual publishing landscape filled with reprints of classics and self-help books with a religious veneer, The Commandments of Jesus Christ It offers something different: a practical and well-organized tool, written in the first person by Jesus himself—a literary device, the book explains, already used by the Church Fathers and medieval spiritual writers—so that each commandment can be read as if Christ himself were explaining it directly to today’s reader.

Among its most notable contributions:

Clearly distinguish between the Law of Fear and the Law of Love. The book emphasizes that the Christian commandments are not binding out of fear of punishment, but are rather expressions of a filial relationship with God. This idea, which runs throughout the work, offers an alternative to the image of God as a «judge» that many readers will recognize from their own religious upbringing.
Translate the doctrine into everyday language. Everyday anecdotes—a cyclist, a businessman who misses a flight, a mother with her baby—serve as a bridge between the biblical texts and daily life, setting the book apart from the usual academic tone found in this type of essay.
It advocates a joyful spirituality. One of the most talked-about passages in the book argues that «there are no saints with sad faces» and questions the tradition of depicting saints with expressions of suffering, proposing a way of living one’s faith marked by good humor and trust, not by guilt.
Organize what was previously scattered into a manageable list. The book’s most practical contribution is also its simplest: it brings together, in fifty thematically grouped points, something that any believer could find on their own in the New Testament, but that practically no one does.

Self-published, but high-quality

The Commandments of Jesus Christ It is a self-published work on Amazon—a fact that the author himself does not hide and that is worth emphasizing: this is a self-published book, not a title released by a major religious publishing house. However, the result defies the usual prejudice against self-published works. Perhaps the only drawback is the font size, which is a bit small. This can be easily remedied by purchasing the digital version for €3 (and it’s free for Amazon customers).

The text features a well-crafted structure and style, sound theology, and a fresh, innovative presentation of Christian doctrine, making it a huge surprise for the reader.

You don’t need to be an expert in theology to engage with this book: its conversational tone and structure of short chapters make it accessible both to those seeking to deepen their faith and to those who are simply curious about a question that, after reading the book, is hard to ignore: if a Christian does not know Christ’s commandments, in what sense can they say they follow him?