Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Christian Principles

Principles are standards of behavior. In this case standards of behavior for a Christian.  We have liberty as a Christian to break dietary and ritual laws which were standards or principles for Jews in the Old Testament.  Likewise, we don't (us men anyhow) need to be circumcised to testify to our position as a child of God.

Gal 5:5 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law."
 
Christ has made us free from the yoke of bondage of "The Law".  If you remember, the Law was simple!  It was summarized by the Ten Commandments and if you think about it, the Ten Commandments includes all sin. Basically, we learn from Jesus' lips, that if we love God as ourselves and love others, we have kept the law. You see it's the heart that matters, not the letter of the Law. We're to have "circumcised hearts"!
 
Rom 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
 
With circumcision a portion of the foreskin is removed. That small piece of tissue dies.  That is meaningless to the Christian!  With the "circumcision of the heart" the entire "Old Man" (former self) dies and is regenerated as a "New Man" (a Christian with eternal life). 
 
There are some things that Christians just don't have to do. As an example consider the following:
 
Leviticus 19:28 "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." In the ESV "marks" is rendered "tattoos". Yes, you have the "freedom" to do dumb and vain things!
 
Am I saying that if you imprint yourself with ink or get studs nailed to your skin, that you're going to hell? Not at all! This is our Christian "liberty" no longer being bound by the Law.
 
1 Cor 10:23 "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."
 
Yes, you can "lawfully" get studs and tattoos! However, is that expedient? Expedience is to do something in your own self-interest rather than principle. You're doing it because you have that vanity in your heart; the same vanity Jezebel had, the same vanity Adam had... to place oneself before God. No, tattoos are not "expedient". A Christian with principle will not get tattoos nor piercings (nor behave in any pagan way).  Why? "All these things edify not."
 
Edify. What and who? Edification is showing Christian improvement... being Christlike. You are to change (the New Man) once you're a Christian. Change entails self-control to pattern yourself after Christ.
 
Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV) 22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit."
 
In the preceding verses are how you become a New Man (or Woman). As a Christian, change is the key word to be assured that you're saved! Have you changed? Do you have Christian principles? Do you do things for edification or are you still vain with an uncircumcized heart?
 
What should be important to you, instead of using your body as a canvas or as a board to which jewelry is nailed, is that you are to be loving, be joyful, have peace of heart, be patient, show kindness, be good, be faithful to Christ, be gentle and have self-control puttin the pleasure for self-aside. When you're being faithful to Christ, that means pleasing Jesus. Are you pleasing Jesus with tattoos, piercings, inappropriate entertainment, bad behavior, inebriation, anger, tyrany of the heart (anger for not getting your own way), Yoga or other un-Christlike atttitudes and behaviors?  You know the answer and what you need to do! CHANGE!  You and I need CHANGE daily because we never arrive at perfection.
 
 
 

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