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Great Christian Principles Christianity
is based upon great principles or truths. Often they are expressed in analogies
or comparisons to things in the natural world. These laws or principles are
just as true, even more so, than the physical realities upon which they are
based. We need to be reminded of these great principles. If we do not know them
or if we live contrary to them, we will fail in our lives. Principle
of Sowing and Reaping 1) “Be not be deceived; God is not mocked. For
whatsoever
a man sows that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh will of the flesh
reap corruption. He that sows to the spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting
life.” (Gal. 6:7-8.) The first part of the truth of sowing and reaping is that
one reaps what one sows. The application is made quickly for us. If we give
attention just to the flesh, we will reap corruption because the flesh dies. If
we give our attention to spiritual things, we will reap everlasting life. No
one can change this great truth. God is not mocked; we should not be deceived. 2) The second part of this analogy is that we
reap more than we sow. A farmer sows a few seed, but reaps many more. “Now he
that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food and multiply
your seed sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.” (2 Cor. 9:10.) God will multiply the good
seed that we sow, but the bad seed that we sow will also reap a bountiful
harvest of evil. Man is deceived in thinking
that the evil that he sows is inconsequential. Think about the terrible
consequences of David’s sins. He probably thought that they were not so bad.
Many make destructive life choices that destroy them. Hosea wrote about those
who “sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7.) 3) A third principle is that if we sow
sparingly, we reap sparingly. If we sow
bountifully, we reap bountifully. (2 Cor. 9:6.) A farmer that is stingy with
the seed that he plants is hurting himself.
Sow a few seed; reap a small harvest. Sow many seed; reap a large
harvest. 4) The one-talent man charged his master of
reaping where he had not sown. (Matt. 25:26.) God does not reap where he has
not sown; all things belong to him. The one-talent man tried to shift the blame
to his master for his failure to use what was given him. It is true that some
men try to reap where they have not sown. Some people want a good harvest
without sowing anything. Applications: a) sowing spiritually; to the
flesh/spirit; b) giving; sowing sparingly/bountifully; c) evangelism; sowing
the seed of the kingdom; d) treatment of others. Seeds
Must Die in the Ground 1) One of the common illustrations used in the
Bible is that of planting seeds. Farming and planting gardens is necessary for
people to exist. Even our industrial society is still strong in agriculture. 2) Jesus once said: “The hour is come that the
Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it
brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it, and he that
hates his life in this world shall kept it unto life eternal. If any man serve
me, let him follow me and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any
man serves me, him will my Father honor.” (John 12:23-26.) 3) It may seem strange or unbelievable at
first, that seed must first die before there can be life. But burying something
in the ground usually is closely connected to death. Either it is already dead,
or shortly will be dead. But with seed, putting it in the ground is necessary
for life to emerge. The seed loses its identity in the process of germination
and sprouting a plant. If you keep the seed in the crib, it abides alone. But
if you plant it, it brings forth much fruit. 4) The first application of this truth was
made to Jesus’ death and the fruit that it would bring. He referred to his
death as the hour in which the Son of man should be glorified. Jesus was
glorified by the Father after his death on the cross. God raised him and highly exalted him. But also by Jesus’ death, he produced much
fruit. He redeemed lost man; by the cross he drew men unto him. 5) The second application that Jesus made was
to us, his disciples. If we love our lives, we will lose them. But if we hate
(willingly give up our lives) our lives in this world, we will keep them unto
life eternal. We must not be afraid to give up our lives to follow him. This
fear could be likened to some seed being afraid to fall into the ground. They
do not want to be planted in the soil. They do not want to lose their identity.
For those who are not afraid, they will keep their lives unto life eternal. 6) This is a great principle and biblical
truth. Seed must be planted and die in the ground in order to produce fruit. Putting
the Interests of Others First 1) “The Lord thy God is one Lord. Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy
strength. The words that I command thee this day shall be in thy heart. And thy
shalt teach them diligently to thy children. . .” (Deut. 6:4-6.) Jesus said
that this was the first and greatest commandment and the second is like unto
it. Thy shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matt. 22:36-38.) 2) Does God command us to put him first
because he is self-centered? Is he commanding us to do something that he will not
do? No. Note the ending of Deuteronomy 6. In verse 24, Moses wrote that God
gave his statues and commandments for our good always. The commands of God, to
put him first, are for our good. See
Mark 2:27. The Sabbath command was given for man, not man for the Sabbath. 3) Paul wrote that we should be kindly
affectioned to one another in love, in honor preferring others. ( 4) The greatest example is the life of Jesus
Christ. Jesus was equal with God and in heaven. Yet, he humbled himself and
took on the form of a man and a servant. He submitted to death for us; even the
death of the cross. (Phil. 2:1-11.) There is no greater example of one putting
the interests of others first. Then Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you which
was in Christ Jesus.” (2:5.) 5) Other examples are: a) The harlot who told
King Solomon to spare the child; in no wise slay he, said she. Solomon’s wisdom
came from the fact that he understood something about mothers; that is, they
will always put the interests of the child first; b) Queen Esther said to her
uncle, “If I perish, I perish.” (4:14.); c) Paul the apostle told the
Corinthians that he would gladly spend for them, though the more abundantly I
love you, I am loved less. (2 Cor.
12:12-14.) The
First Shall be Last; Last, First 1) “But many who are first shall be last and
the last first.” (Matt. 19:30, Mark 10:31.) This seems to be unfair and an odd
principle in the Lord’s Kingdom. But it is an important one to learn. 2) Jesus told the parable of the laborers in
the vineyard immediately after this statement in Matthew’s account. (Matt.
20:1-16.) Therefore, the principle is stated before and after the parable so we
would not miss it. What does it mean? 3) In the story, Jesus taught that workers who
went to work at the beginning of the day, the third hour, sixth hour and
eleventh hour. The owner of the vineyard make an agreement with the workers
what they would be paid. At the end of the day, he paid all the workers the
same amount, the agreed upon amount. But those who worked all day complained
about it. Then Jesus said, the first shall be last and the last shall be first
in his Kingdom 4) Is this unfair? No, it was the owner’s
money and he kept his word. He did not lie to them. If an owner wants to be
generous to those who worked only one hour, does he not have the right? 5) This parable teaches that the Lord’s
Kingdom is different from the kingdoms of the world. In addition, redemption is
not a matter of earned wages. (Rom. 6:23.) Salvation is a gift from God. It is
a matter of grace. Those who put themselves first will find themselves last.
Those who think that they are last in God’s view will be put first. 6) Jesus told about a man who prepared a
banquet and invited guests. He taught that when you go to the feast, do not go
to the chief seats and put yourself first before others. But rather take the
lower seats and allow the host to honor you if he wants you to move up to a
higher seat. (Luke 14:8-11.) “For whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled,
and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” (14:11.) “Humble yourself in the
sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10.) The
Servant is the Greatest 1) Probably, one of the most misunderstood
Christian principles is that the greatest among you shall be your servant.
Jesus said, “You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over
them and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be
so among you. And whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son
of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:25-28.) 2) Jesus did not come to be ministered unto,
but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matt. 20:28.) We
should imitate the life of Jesus in regard to serving others. This is a great Christian truth. If we serve one another, we will not seek to
lord it over or rule over others. There is a tendency among men to seek higher
ground over others. Jesus served us; we ought to serve one another. Jesus has
declared the servant the greatest. 3) In bold contrast to how kingdoms of the
world operate, the Lord’s Kingdom reverses the order. The last shall be first;
the first last. The servant is the greatest. Since this is true, we should not
think that it is a lowly task to serve others; we ought not to seek to rule
over others. 4) Jesus died for us; this is the greatest act
of service to others. But he, during his
life, washed the feet of his disciples. John 13 is one of the greatest
chapters expressing this great truth. Jesus, the Creator and Lord, washed dirty
feet. Jim McGuiggan wrote that there were twelve lords and one servant in that
upper room! 5) Having a foot-washing service is not what
Jesus meant. He wanted a continuous foot-washing service, not just an hour each
week. He meant real foot-washing, not just wetting clean feet and drying them
with a towel. Someone
Else Can Take Your Place 1) In the Old Testament, every year 2) This ancient practice taught the Jews that
it was possible for someone else to bear man’s sins. They were accustomed to
offering sacrifices which also taught that our sins could and must be atoned
for outside of one’s own effort or righteousness. 3) Our justice system on earth does not allow
for another to take the place of the criminal. No one can take the place of one
convicted of capital offenses. Parents are not allowed, even if they desired,
to take the place of their children in civil or criminal justice. David cried
out in anguish when his son Absalom was killed in battle. He wished he could
have died in the place of his son. 4) But sins are such that they must be borne
by another. Man cannot atone for his owns sins. This is a great biblical
principle and truth. Sins are so ugly and ungodly that even a good man cannot
atone for the sins of the ungodly. 5) In God’s system of justice, only God can
atone for man’s sins. This is the reason for Jesus’ death on the cross.
Barabbas was set free and Jesus, though innocent, went to the cross. Barabbas
well represents all of us. Jesus took our place. Our sins have been fully
atoned and nothing else is needed or can be offered. You do not offer part of
the sacrifice for your sins and Jesus supplies what you cannot do. Our sins are
paid in full at the cross. 6) Faith means that you trust in Another for
your salvation. “The just shall live by faith” is probably one of the most
misunderstood principles and truths in the Bible. But it is simple. It means
that someone took your place and you trust in Him for your salvation. 7) There are only two possible ways for a man
to be righteous; he is either righteous on his own (self-righteousness), or God
declares you righteous based upon the righteousness of Another. In the Bible we
declared righteous; this is the meaning of justification. We are guilty, but
God justifies us through His Son. Upon what principle? Faith, not works of
righteousness which we have done. (Titus 3:5, Rom. 10:3.) “Faith in his blood”
is the basis for our salvation and the condition upon which God declares us
righteous. 8) It is interesting that in Greek the words,
justification and righteousness, are the same word. S also are the words,
justify and righteous. The word, justify, tells us how we are righteous. God
has declared that we are righteous on the basis of trust in His Son. We are not
righteous on our own. If we were, we would not need the word, justify. 9) In order to make clear this principle or
truth that another can toke our place, the Bible uses several phrases: “the
just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18), “God made him to be sin for us” (2 Cor.
5:21), and “by his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). 10) Someone else took our place. Jesus is the
only one who can take our place. Mohammed, the Dalai Lama, Hira Krishna, Joseph
Smith, Moses, or any other cannot take man’s place. 11) Paul also raised an interesting point; that
is, for whom is one likely to die. Is it the ungodly man or the good man? Paul
said that someone might offer to die for a good man, but Jesus died for us
while we were yet sinners. ( Light
and Darkness 1) This is a common analogy in the Bible
because it is easy to understand. Every day we have light and darkness. What is
the principle? There are many principles. Just as there is physical light and
darkness, so also is there spiritual light and darkness. Here are just a few of
the many principles. 2) The world is made of two parts spiritually:
light and darkness. We walk in one or the other of these two worlds. There are
only two. 3) God’s Word gives light to our pathway in
life. (Psalm 119:104-105.) If we reject his Word, we walk in darkness and
cannot see where we are going. 4) Men light a candle and put it on a
candlestick so others may see. They do not hide the light under a basket. A
city set on a hill cannot be hid. So let your light shine before men so they
may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Those who have
received the light may bless others by letting that light shine. Jesus said,
You are the light of the world. (Matt. 5:14-16.) 5) Jesus is the ultimate and real light of the
world. (John 8:12.) Since he is pure and sinless, he is the only true light of
the world. If we follow him, we can safely see our way home. 6) The light of the body is the eye; that is,
we receive light through the eyes. (Matt. 6:22.) If our eyes are healthy or
have a single purpose, our bodies shall be full of light. If our eyes are evil
or bad, the body will be filled with darkness. Do we want to see? Some are
willingly blind. They see physically, but cannot see spiritually. The healing
of blind men in the Gospel accounts plays a major role. Jesus came to open our
eyes that we may see. There are none so blind as those who will not see. |