Best principles to live by

4 Principles to Live By

Sunday AM, October 5, 2008

Introduction: The Bible gives good principles for all of us to live by. If we follow these, we will have better relationships with other people. We will be happier people, but maturity is always required. Immaturity is the cause of many of our problems. Many refuse these biblical principles because they run cross-grain to our self-centeredness.

Mind Your Own Business!

It is amazing how often this is found in the Bible and how often we all were told that growing up. It is a great principle by which to live.

Peter was not a shy disciple; he was often in the midst of things speaking too quickly. Jesus met with Peter after his resurrection to bring him back into the fold. Three times (according to the number of times Peter denied the Lord) Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. Peter affirmed his love for the Lord; Jesus then told him to feed his sheep. Jesus went further; he told how Peter would die. (John 21:18-19.) Peter then saw John who rested in Jesus’ bosom at the Passover and who asked the Lord about the one who would betray him. Peter wanted to know what would be John’s fate. This does not seem to have any resentment or jealousy in it, but rather concern for his close co-worker and friend.

Jesus mildly rebuked Peter saying, What is that to you? Follow me. (John 21:22.) In other words, Peter, mind your own business. You have enough to occupy yourself. What is it to you if John tarries till I return? (21:23.)

The other ten apostles got jealous and angry with James and John who sought to gain the upper hand over them by asking Jesus for positions on the right and left in his kingdom. Jesus would have taken care of James and John; the other ten need not have gotten angry. They should have minded their own business. (Matt. 20:20-28.) Jesus told them that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of others.

The apostles once rebuked some disciples who were casting our demons. John told Jesus what they did and justified their actions by saying, They followed not with us. Jesus told the apostles, “Rebuke them not; for he that is not against us is for us.” (Luke 9:49-50.) In other words, mind your own business. If they were casting out demons, were they not doing it by the power of God?

Paul wrote these words to the brethren at Thessalonica: “But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. . . And that you study to be quite and to do your own business, (to mind your own business, NIV), and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.” (1 Thess. 4:9, 11.) That was good advice; some there had stopped working and were going from house to house talking. (2 Thess. 3:11-12.)

James, the brother of Jesus, should not have been interfering with Paul’s missionary work among the Gentiles. He was acting as if he were the head of the church. Paul said that they were acting as if they were in conference, or as if they were important (but whatever they were it mattered not to him). (Gal. 2:6.) James and those emissaries that he sent down to Galatia caused an unnecessary interruption in Paul’s work. It caused confusion in good Barnabas and Peter. Paul rebuked their behavior directly. (Gal. 2:14.) Many conflicts could be avoided if people would just mind their own business!

Treat Others the Way You Want to be Treated

No wonder it is called “the golden rule of life.” Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matt. 7:12.) This principle appeals to self-interest; it is similar to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In many ways this is not the golden rule, because there are higher principles that we are taught in Scripture. But this is a good beginning place for good relationships and would solve many conflicts in life.

This principle would remove all murders, malicious deeds and words, stealing, and all forms of abuse of other people. This concept promotes doing good to others and is a good place to begin. Verse 12 ends a section in Jesus’ sermon that begins in verse 7 about asking, seeking and knocking. He then gave an example of a child asking his father for fish or bread. Would you give your child a stone instead of bread; or a serpent instead of fish? “If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (7:11.) In verse 12, Jesus expanded this principle to how we treat all men, not just our children.

Prior to Jesus, many others leaders said something similar to Jesus’ words. Some were Socrates, Aristotle, Hillel, Confucius, and Buddha. However they said, “Do not do unto others what you would not want them to do to you.” They exclude evil deeds and harmful actions against others, but they did not include doing positive things. Hillel, the great Jewish rabbi, said to a man wanting to become a Jewish proselyte, “Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to another.” (Barnes’ Notes, 78.)

Put Others First

Going beyond the negative golden rule and the positive golden rule, there are more rigorous principles for living. Here is the next step. In Romans 12, Paul is giving some concluding admonitions in his letter. He is preaching here. This follows the great body of the letter on justification before God. Now this is how a justified person should behave toward others. Note verse 14: Bless them which persecute you; bless and curse not.” Also verse 17: “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” And verse 18: “If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.” These references show that we have gone beyond doing good to others like you would like to be treated. What if an enemy is doing harm to you without cause? How do we bless those who curse us?

The principle is found in the midst of these admonitions. Note verse 10: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another.” Paul says that we seek to overcome evil with good. (12:21.) Be willing to put others ahead of you.

Note the context of Philippians 2:1-8. Paul spoke about fellowship of the Spirit, having the same love, and being of one accord. Then he said: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4.) The example he gave was Jesus Christ who did not look out for his own interest, but put us first, even to the death of the cross. (2:8.) We will have good fellowship in the church and good relationships if we put one another first. It will work if I put you first and if you put me first. It will work at home if we put our wives first and wives put their husbands first.

When I was a co-op student with the Army Corps of Engineers in Memphis, we had a remarkably kind man in our office. He was polite to others to a fault. Our office was up several floors and every morning there was a crowd of people trying to get on the elevators to get to their office on time. Jim would not get on the elevator ahead of others; he would often hold the door and let others get on ahead of him. Then the elevator would fill up and he would wait for the next one. Then the same thing would happen again! We often kidded Jim about letting others get on the elevator ahead of him.

Suffer Wrong Yourself

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is discussing one of the many problems among the Corinthians. In this chapter, it is about legal disputes among Christians. Paul’s concern is about Christians going to court before unbelievers. He chides them in the opening words about their lack of ability or willingness to allow the saints to judge between brothers in conflict. He asked them, “Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? Are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? Set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. (Vs. 3-4.)

Paul is addressing frivolous matters that ought to be settled among brethren and not carried before unbelieving judges. This section does not argue against going to court in matters that only the courts can settle. Churches cannot settle matters that are criminal; churches cannot punish wrong doers; churches cannot grant divorces. Civil laws generally grant churches the right to perform marriages, but not divorces. But even in these areas, Paul’s point is still powerful. We have divinely inspired principles to live by. We should consult God’s will first; we should follow Christian principles to solve our relationship conflicts.

Here is the principle: “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? No, you do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.” (1 Cor. 6:7.) That is a hard-hitting principle; it is not for the faint-hearted. This is only for mature people. Paul said that the Corinthians were spiritually babies. (3:1.) Further, he wrote that they were carnal. (3:3.) Paul warned that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. (6:9.)

Generally, people are not willing to suffer wrong in order to settle a dispute. They will reply by saying, “Well, it is not really about the $10; it is the principle of the thing.” I have heard that all my life and I still do not know what is meant by this retort. What is the principle that so many are referring to? I think it is this—I am offended and I am going to fight them all the way to the Supreme Court.

Have you ever suffered wrong in order to settle a quarrel with a friend, family member, or a fellow Christian? If you haven’t, then you are violating Paul’s principle. Paul didn’t say what the Corinthians were going to court about. Apparently, it was some small matter. But they were not willing to suffer a little offense or loss in order to protect the reputation of the church.

Abraham was willing to suffer a financial loss by allowing his nephew, Lot, to choose the best land for his cattle. Abraham said, “Let there be no strife between me and thee, my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.” (Gen. 13:8.) Lot made an unwise choice; but the strife was settled by the wisdom and maturity of Abraham.

Paul wrote a letter to Philemon to intercede in a conflict between Onesimus and Philemon. Paul had converted Onesimus and sent him back to Philemon with a letter. The problem was that Onesimus had stolen some things that belonged to Onesimus. Now, they are both Christians. There are good principles for them to live by. Will they do it? Paul pleaded with Philemon to receive him back kindly. In order to make it easier for Philemon to do so, Paul told Philemon that he would accept the charges that Onesimus owed. He wrote, “Put it on my account.” (Vs. 18.) Paul was willing to suffer the wrong that Onesimus had done so that peace might prevail.

Jesus was willing to suffer the wrong himself so that we might have peace with God. This is the greatest example of suffering wrong innocently. If Jesus could pay so great a price for us, we ought to be able to pay the insignificant losses that we experience in life. If he so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 3:16.)

-      Mural Worthey (Cawson St church, Hopewell, Virginia)