This is a study of how the word “must” is used in the New Testament. The word means that something is necessary, obligatory, and unavoidable — something imperative; something that cannot be skipped or bypassed; something without which one simply cannot do. The verses in which it occurs I call “the binding spiritual imperatives.”
There are many kinds of commands — legal statutes and human regulations. Many of them seem to enslave us — they are forever ordering us to do something and forcing us to fall in line with their rules. If we give in to that pressure and begin to take pride in our achievements at keeping the law, we turn into legalists. Legalists are those who think they can please God by their own works. But the New Testament stands against this way of thinking. Christ set us free from the Law as a means of salvation. “The letter kills” (2 Corinthians 3:6), and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17), says the apostle Paul. The gospel is not about what we must do for God, but about what God has done for us. When a person grasps his own need and God’s provision to meet it, he understands the grace of God and chooses to follow Christ not out of obligation but out of love — not because “it is required,” but because he wants to.
And yet, in the New Testament we do find expressions that include the word “must.” These, however, are not the “letter that kills.” They are spiritual imperatives — things that are binding and carry eternal life. Like signposts, these binding spiritual imperatives point out the road along which history must unfold, and they mark the individual stages in the working out of God’s plan. They are not “heavy, cumbersome loads” (Matthew 23:4), but rather markers that trace the fulfillment of God’s will. Even so, they cannot be skipped. “The great ‘musts’ of the New Testament,” as I call them, are unavoidable and binding. The binding spiritual imperatives (BSI) can be gathered into three groups:
- BSI concerning Christ;
- BSI concerning the Christian;
- BSI concerning the future.
The Binding Spiritual Imperatives Concerning Christ
These are things Jesus had to accomplish, and things that had to happen to Him, so that He could fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and carry out the will of God.
For example, Jesus had to preach the kingdom of God. After He had performed many miracles in Capernaum, the people sought Him out and wanted to keep Him in one place (Luke 4:43-44).
43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:43-44)
Why did Jesus “have to” preach and proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God? Because this was written about Him in the Scriptures, and He knew it. A little earlier, in that same fourth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke, we read that when He was invited to read from the sacred text in the synagogue at Nazareth, He found the place where it was written (Luke 4:18-19):
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
This was the will of God, and this is what Jesus had to do.
Christ, however, had not only to proclaim the good news, but also to suffer and to die. Why? So that He might become a sacrifice for us and redeem us from our sins. In Matthew 16:21 we read that after He had already revealed Himself as the Son of God and the Anointed One, He began to speak to His disciples about the sufferings that lay ahead of Him:
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21)
In John 3:14-15 the evangelist explains it this way:
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. (John 3:14-15)
Jesus had to suffer and be killed, because this was written about Him in the Scriptures — such were the binding spiritual imperatives. In Matthew 26:50-54 we read what happened when Judas betrayed Jesus and the temple guard came to seize Him:
50 Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:50-54)
Jesus had no wish to oppose the binding spiritual imperatives. From the very beginning He knew what was written about Him in the Scriptures, and He set Himself to fulfill it, even though it would cost Him His life (Mark 9:11-12).
11 And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? (Mark 9:11-12)
At that time His disciples did not understand a great deal, but after His resurrection Jesus explained it to them (Luke 24:44):
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44)
Jesus had not only to suffer and to die on the cross. He also had to rise again. When, on the morning of the resurrection, Mary told His disciples that the tomb was empty, they ran to look for Him, for they still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:9). But later they came to understand that it was not possible for death to hold Him in its grip. His blood was precious enough to cover the sins of all humanity, which He had taken upon Himself; and so, as proof of our justification, God raised Him from the dead.
Jesus Christ had to preach the kingdom of God, had to suffer and die, had to rise again (Acts 17:3), and had also to ascend into heaven. And He did it (Acts 1:9-11). In Acts 3:19-21 we read part of Peter’s sermon after the healing of the lame man.
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you — even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21)
Notice what Peter says about Christ — that He has ascended into heaven, and will remain there until the time when all things are restored. Then Jesus will return, to establish His full authority over this world. In 1 Corinthians 15:25 the apostle Paul writes:
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (1 Corinthians 15:24-25)
Jesus “must” reign. Why? Because He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. If Jesus has up to this point fulfilled every spiritual imperative that concerned Him — He came to this earth, preached the kingdom of God, died, rose again, ascended to the right hand of God — then He will also fulfill the last spiritual imperative — that “He must reign.” This is why we wait for Him. According to God’s plan He will come a second time to this earth, to establish His kingdom for eternity.
The Binding Spiritual Imperatives Concerning the Christian
There are seven of them.
The Christian must believe in God (Hebrews 11:6).
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
The Christian must repent (Mark 6:12).
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. (Mark 6:12)
The Christian must be born again (John 3:7).
7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:7)
The Christian must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
The Christian must live a life of holiness and love (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:7; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; 2 Peter 3:11-12; 2 John 1:6).
1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. 9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)
The Christian must be ready to suffer for his faith (Acts 14:22).
22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. (Acts 14:22)
One day the Christian will have to give an account of his deeds before God (2 Corinthians 5:10).
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
The Binding Spiritual Imperatives Concerning the Last Times
First, there must be a resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:53).
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53)
But before the resurrection two kinds of events must take place. On the one hand, before the end we will have to endure tribulations — wars, famine, earthquakes, hatred, false teachings, natural disasters, and cataclysms (Matthew 24:6).
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. (Matthew 24:6)
In that very same troubled time the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ must be preached to all the nations (Mark 13:10; Luke 24:47; John 10:16).
10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. (Mark 13:10)
The binding spiritual imperatives are irrevocable. They must be, and they will be, fulfilled. They are not optional. We cannot change them or pass them by. We can use them as landmarks for what awaits us and for what we, as Christians, must do in order to carry out God’s plan.