Precepts and Principles.

In understanding, interpreting, and applying the truth in the scriptures, we must make a distinction between precepts and principles. Precepts are the commands, the law, the direction for life and living as outlined in the Bible. Principles are the foundation behind the precepts. For instance, God commands us not to hate, because hate destroys us and harms others. Jesus said to love our enemies. Love overcomes hate.

Many Christians become great legalists because they don’t apply the principles behind the truth in their interpretation and application of the truth in the Bible. Jesus, for instance, often spoke in contrast to generalizations that were distorted. On the issue of divorce, the principle behind what he said was that divorce treats people as objects and hurts people. That is why God doesn’t like it. (Malachi 2:16) Sometimes divorce is unavoidable, but we should be sure to make it the last resort. The corrupt religious leaders of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' day focused on precepts, but neglected the principles, and led in the crucifixion of the God-man Jesus.

In the Old Testament, there were many severe laws, and many people were to be put to death for crimes such as adultery or disrespecting one's parents, just to name a couple of laws that included the death penalty. However, the death penalty wasn’t often practiced, and God’s people often went astray in the Old Testament. The principles behind these laws were to preserve society from its self-destruction, as in the times of Noah, when God destroyed the world before man destroyed himself with evil. He put the rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant that there would never be a flood again to destroy the world. God says, “The waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh”, (Genesis 9:15).

Will the world in God’s judgment be destroyed again? At the end of this age, God will create a new heaven and earth. (Revelation 21:1-4) This occurs, it seems to imply, after the judgment. Other Biblical references point in this direction. The Apostle Peter says, “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7). Does this fire occur before judgment or after, when God creates a new heaven and earth in heaven? Jesus also describes hell as a place of fire. It seems like it occurs after the judgment. Is the world being saturated in evil like in the days of Noah? God says that on the day of judgment, it will be similar. (Matthew 24:37-38) Are we coming close now?

When man came of age, Jesus came and revealed very clearly the way of God’s grace. If we don’t get at the principles behind what God has done and is doing, we will be lost, distorted, and walk in emptiness.

The other danger is antinomianism. That is a big word. It means to sin that grace may abound. (Romans 6:1-7) The word more technically means to be without the law. For these people, the law is not even a guide to guide us away from sin and to God. We can spurn grace and keep on wilfully sinning, trusting that God will forgive us. (Hebrews 10:26-27) This is sort of like a child coming to a parent and asking for their inheritance now. This is offensive today, but in Jesus' day, this was extremely offensive as recorded in the parable of the prodigal son. (Matthew 15:12). To be fair, the prodigal son only asked for a portion of his inheritance. How gracious was the Father? Willful sin can be overcome with deep repentance.

To harden yourself against God is very dangerous. It will be hard to unharden your heart, and some never recover from hardening their heart.

Some people, the Apostle Paul says, may have received the grace of God in vain. He says, “by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2). In other words, perhaps they had never truly become born again since they are living in blatant sin. They believed in vain.

It is also possible, as Christians, to just be users of God’s grace in vain. We become only consumers of God’s grace, but we do not live out that grace and do not give it to others. We are takers only and not givers or givers of as little as possible. Again, the Apostle Paul states, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1).

Today, there is such a thing as common grace. This is a time of grace where God gives people the ability to do some good even though they don’t know him or honor him. They also take credit for that grace. The day is coming when common grace will be removed, and that will be hell for those without Christ. They will be left entirely to themselves, and there will be no good present. (Romans 3:11-18) In the meantime, people may just be users of God’s grace. However, the day of reckoning is coming.

Precepts and principles—delve deeper and get to the principles behind the precepts. God wants the best for you. We can trust him even amidst hardship, and he can turn it around as you walk with him and look to him. Sin harms us, distorts our lives, harms others, and offends a holy God. If God were only concerned about his holiness, all people, including myself, would experience judgment, but God, at great cost to himself, came in the flesh in Jesus. He took our punishment or consequence of our sin on the cross and rose to give those who receive him as Savior and Lord, abundant and eternal life. What will you do with Jesus? Who do you say he is? Are you becoming like him and doing what he said to do and become? (Matthew 28:19-20) Turn to him and, with real repentance of sin, there is much grace.