Practising Scriptural Principles

Why is the Bible, a book written thousands of years ago, still relevant today? Because it contains universal principles that apply to everyone regardless of circumstances. God actually caused the writers of the Bible to address all the essential issues needed by us to live on this planet.

So how do we apply the principles in the Bible, originally expressed in a society foreign to ours, to our circumstances today? Fortunately, God has not left us alone. The Holy Spirit has been with believers since our Lord’s ascension, John 14. 16; Acts 1. 8, and provides all the guidance we need through the word, John 16. 13. As a result, we have God’s wisdom, ‘the mind of Christ’, revealed to us by His Spirit, 1 Cor. 2. 6-16 NIV. This is just as true for today’s situations as it was for events that occurred thousands of years ago.

FAITH AND ACTION
James 2. 14-26 shows the relationship between what we believe (our faith) and what we do (our actions). Our faith is shown by what we do, so faith that does not result in appropriate action is dead, Jas. 2. 17-18. As scriptural principles are the foundation of our faith, they should be expressed in our actions. Otherwise our faith is not based on the Scriptures and we are acting as if the Bible is no longer relevant today. God is interested in what we do and how we do it. For example, we are urged to ‘speak … the truth in love’, Eph. 4. 15.

WINESKINS AND CLOTHES
An incident recorded in the Gospels helps to show the relationship between what we believe (scriptural principles), what we do (practices) and the present circumstances. In Luke 5. 33-35 the religious leaders criticized Jesus because His disciples did not fast (go without eating) as was their custom. Jesus gave a reason for:this and explained it further with the parable of the wineskins, Luke 5. 36-38.

Jesus said that ‘no one pours new wine into old wineskins’, but ‘new wine must be poured into hew wineskins’. The wineskins contained the wine and protected it from the environment. Without an effective container, the wine would be spilled out and the wineskin would be useless. The application of this illustration was that the ‘wine’ of the gospel of Jesus Christ could not be contained and expressed by the practices (or ‘wineskins’) of Judaism. New practices were required in order to preserve the Christian faith: ‘Put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved’, Matt. 9. 17. Our practices are between the principles we follow and the circumstances we face. The practices are a result of the application of divine principles to human circumstances.

In the above parable, Jesus taught that if the principles (wine) changed, then the practices (wineskins) should change. What if there are changes to the circumstances we live in? Biological organisms respond to changes in their environments, otherwise there- is no evidence of life. We should also address changes that occur in our environment (or circumstances).

It is interesting that Christ used wineskins and clothes in his story. These are items that wear out and eventually must be replaced. Likewise, our practices will need replacing from time to time as no society or culture is stagnant. Of course, for us it is a case of the circumstances changing rather than the principles, or it could be clue to a new understanding or application of the principles. This means that our practices must be based on scriptural principles and relate to the present circumstances we face.

TRADITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
Human behaviour is influenced by past experiences and present circumstances. An example of inappropriate behaviour is given in Mark 7. 1-9. Here Jesus calls the religious leaders ‘hypocrites’ for placing more importance on ceremonial washing than on God’s commands. Jesus accused them of ‘setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions’, v. 9. So their practices were dominated by traditions, which were contrary to scriptural principles. Similarly, in Luke 6. 1-11, Christ opposed their regulations concerning what was allowable on the Sabbath day. In both of the above situations the religious leaders were treating a tradition as though it were a scriptural truth.

A good example of how behaviour can be influenced by circumstances is Paul’s visit to Athens, Acts 17. 1 6-34. While waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive he ‘walked around and looked carefully at their objects of worship’, v. 23. This gave him an insight regarding these people which he was able to use when he spoke to them. Paul was like the men of Issachar who ‘understood the times and knew what Israel should do’, 1 Chron. 12. 32. Note that it was essential to understand the times (or situation) in order to know what should be done.

Likewise, Christ recognized the needs of the people - ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without shepherd’, Matt. 9. 36 – and responded to their needs and was willing to be their Shepherd, John. 10. 14.

A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION
Christians are called to be active representatives of Christ today, 2 Cor. 5. 20. It is helpful to visualize the relationship between what we believe and do, as shown in the diagram. This shows that when scriptural principles are put into practice, the way they are expressed is influenced by both past practices (which are now traditions) and the present circumstances. Circumstances change in families, communities and nations, because life is a dynamic process. Practices which were once appropriate may become obsolete, but if we persist in their use an opportunity is lost to demonstrate the principles in present circumstances.

The principles are important because they provide divine guidance and purpose. We need to distinguish between scriptural principles (which are fixed) and our practices of them which can change according to present, local circumstances.

In order to discern biblical principles and apply them, consideration is required of the culture, way of life and language at the following periods of time: (i) Bible times to interpret the Bible; (ii) previous generations of family, assembly, community and nation (to understand our traditions); and (iii) the present (to understand current circumstances). This will help to distinguish the relevant principles and the most suitable practices to meet the circumstances we face.

Our practices are important because they are the visible aspect of our faith. Jesus said that people will recognize His disciples if they love one another, John 13. 35. Paul wrote, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’, he noted, ‘and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus’, Col. 3. 16-17. Following the example of Christ, our traditions should always be evaluated by scriptural truths and current circumstances, replacing those traditions that are no longer appropriate with more relevant practices.

Like wineskins and clothes, our Christian practices only exist to serve a purpose. They are human expressions of divine principles within a given historical, social and cultural context. We should know the purpose behind our practices, and periodically consider whether other methods could be more appropriate. There is a tendency to perpetuate long-established practices, but our security should be in the principles, not in the practices.

So, when evaluating our practices we need to consider each of the following, under the Spirit’s guidance: scriptural principles, present circumstances, and past practices or traditions. In a sense, the Scriptures only live and survive as we believers apply them to all the circumstances of life – otherwise we are living as though the Bible is merely a history book that is not relevant today.

From Grace and Trust, Danville, Illinois. U.S.A.
Used by permission.