What Principles Guide You? (Part 3)

Principles for both the individual, as well as a business or government, are crucial to strength and success. Our principles are either just a bunch of hot air or something we truly believe in and practice. Today in America, in just one generation, the principles we as a nation have relied on for over 200 years to keep us steady and growing is about to collapse. Our government is at a tipping point of tossing our constitution in the waste paper basket for a “New Idea“, which in fact is an old idea of socialism and communism.

One would think that lawmakers and the president would look at how well the constitution has guided this country for so long and how foolish socialism and communism has failed around the world yet when people abandon their principles of truthfulness, integrity, responsibility etc. for quick gain everything falls apart. I have been writing in the two previous articles on this same topic of principles and the importance of them and would recommend reading those first before proceeding.

First and foremost, for Christians, the scriptures are our primary guide for developing our principles that we hope to live by. When church tradition, social bias or personal desire overrides scripture, our first principle that “Jesus is Lord” is quickly sold for the “Jesus is a Nice Guy” mentality. Many professing Christians have abandoned the principle of having Jesus as the author and finisher of their faith for the Jesus that just loves every one and wants us all to be happy! Sounds like universalism where everyone automatically is saved.

Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person, organization or government. These guiding principles dictate our behavior and teach us to judge between right and wrong. When we or any group abandon our core values, like the constitution or the bible, for public sentiment we end up being like a boat on the sea without a rudder to steer.

The apostle Paul warned us not to be taken captive to ideas and trends rather than Christ. Just in the last 6 months more and more “famous” Christians, either in music or church leaders, have come out saying they no longer believe in God. How could this happen? This didn’t happen over night but rather they abandoned the primary core principle of trusting God’s word as their standard and became adrift on the sea of public opinion. Sooner or later, they felt like hypocrites for saying one thing and doing another and came out saying they no longer believed.  Can you imagine how the people that worked with these leaders felt? Always remember that people are influenced by what we say as well as what we do and there must be an accounting for the ruined lives some day if God is truly just. The old saying is true – “Pay me now or pay me later” but we will all have to give an account.

Colossians 2:8                                                                                                                                                                                               See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

The core of New Testament scripture is focused on Christ coming not just to forgive our sin but primarily to become the Lord of our lives. Sin was the deterrent to us walking with God and Jesus made a pathway to overcome that. He died to set us free from the deception and rebellion Satan had encouraged us to live in. To deny this truth is again to deny a core principle of scripture.

Colossians 2:20                                                                                                                                                                                               If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 

Paul told his disciple and spiritual son Timothy to teach the principles Paul had trained him with by using scripture. He further instructed Timothy to train leaders in the church to teach these principles of Jesus becoming the Lord of our lives for the exchange of forgiveness and pardon, as laid out in scripture.

1 Timothy 5:21                                                                                                                                                                                                   I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. 

Paul, in writing the book of Hebrews, outlines the character of Christ and how he became the means of salvation to any who would embrace his lordship. Paul goes so far as to make it very clear that Jesus granting eternal life was contingent on those people obeying him. How can we obey what we don’t know or understand if indeed we don’t treat scripture as from God and the means for us to learn what Jesus taught?

Hebrews 5:8-9                                                                                                                                                                                         Although He (Jesus) was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, 

Towards the end of chapter 5, Paul admonishes these followers of Christ by saying that they somehow had lost their previous ability to understand the “Elementary Principles” of the faith and had reverted to being babies in the faith. The truth that scripture constantly reinforces is the idea that belief must have action.

Hebrews 5:11-14                                                                                                                                                                                 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

James, the brother of Jesus, brings out this concept of faith and works by saying faith without works is dead. What he is saying is that someone can “Think or Believe” intellectually an idea or truth but that concept, no matter how good or true, is not going to benefit us unless it is followed through with action. Case in point, one can say they believe the bible is true yet rarely if ever read the scripture on their own. Application is crucial to living an authentic Christ life. Remember the early believers were not originally called Christians but “Followers of the Way“, reinforcing that they had belief and action mixed together.

James 2:20                                                                                                                                                                                                     But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 

Let me close this article with the statement that if scripture is not a main principle of your faith which you live out regularly, you are not building your life on the principles of real Christianity but on man made religion.

Questions:

1) Are you “still” following the Christ of the Bible or some kind of Christian tradition?  Reflect on what you are being taught with scripture.

2) Are you opinions and preferences the principles you follow rather than scripture? Consider the fact that scripture says you are building your beliefs on sand rather than the solid rock.

Loving God’s word

PS – Read my daily devotions & thoughtful questions in my Facebook page and leave your comments.

Pastor Dale