Precept versus Principle

     Have you ever read through all the laws that God gave in the Old Testament? How incredibly detailed and thorough our God is.  Most of us can't even imagine attempting to keep even half of the prescribed rules for daily life laid out in in the first five books of our Bible.  We kinda skim over these precise directions and breathe a sigh of relief that we were born after the time of Jesus -- all is under grace now, right?  We don't have to worry ourselves with all that --right?

    Recently, I am beginning to catch a glimpse of the blessing we may be missing by glossing over the Law of God too glibly.  Did God's Law just become obsolete, just because Jesus fulfilled it perfectly and paid the penalty for our breaking of the Law?  Is it just an interesting part of history?  No. It is far more.  Over and over again in Leviticus, God states that "this statute will last forever" or "you shall keep this commandment always."  Did the meaning of "forever" and "always" change when Jesus was put on the cross and rose again?  No again.

    Now we have the New Testament, where we learn from Jesus and His apostles that we are not bound by the Law, but are covered by the grace of our Lord, who perfectly fulfilled the Law and paid the penalty all of humanity's inability to keep God's Law. What peace and comfort that brings to all of us.  But, what should our attitude toward the Law be?  Jesus taught us the difference between principle and precept.  

    A principle is a general guide for how are to live.  A precept guides a specific action. 

    So, if I tell my children, "You may not have candy today," that is a precept.  It prescribes a specific action, right now.  It does not dictate their candy usage tomorrow or next week.  If  I say, "you should protect your teeth and body, by choosing healthy foods as often as you can," that is a principle.  It covers a broader purpose and guides actions without a time or place restriction. 

    Jesus taught us the principles behind the Law.  He taught us that we should "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The Pharisees were focused on the precept of "Thou shalt not do any work on the Sabbath" and had forgotton the "keep it holy" part.  Did Jesus' coming do away with the "keep it holy" part? Absolutely not.  We don't need to get hung up on which day of the week or what work is allowed or not allowed.  Our part is to "keep it holy" in our hearts.  The principle has never changed.  It is still there for our benefit and for showing us the character of our Holy God. Through setting aside one day and making that day one of dedicated and focused worship and meditation to the God of creation, we see the purpose of the principle. The precept is there to help guide us to the intended purpose of the principle.  Does that make sense?  So, the precept is not without validity, but without the principle it is legalism and may even cause harm to the testimony of Jesus.  As we understand the principle, our hearts follow the precepts with greater understanding. See how they are both important and how they work hand in hand?

    Studying the law with the glasses of what God is showing us of His character and purposes will change our perspective of it.  If we can look for the principle and then see how the precept helps us to more clearly carry out the principle, it will become a blessing, rather than a burden to wade through in our yearly Bible reading. 

Keep reading and studying the precious Word of God! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

💓Heather Sparks💓