The Principle Thing
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Wisdom, or the ability to apply knowledge is a crucial part of living a Godly life. The Bible is the greatest book of wisdom but there are some things that must be understood. For instance, is that which is being conveyed instruction or a principle?
We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Notice this verse didn’t say just doctrine, just reproof, just correction, or just instruction. These are not repeats of one another but they each have their place. For the sake of this Faith Fix, I’m going to focus on two, doctrine and instruction.
Doctrine is the teaching of the precepts or the principle of a thing. It is not necessarily the instruction of what to do but how to apply something specifically to a specific scenario. For example, Peter walked on water at Jesus’s command, however it isn’t God’s will that we all do this on a regular basis. For the purpose of teaching faith, God allowed it. We see this as Jesus and the disciples were led to different places to do different things. In these things we can take the principle from the experience and apply it to our own lives.
Instruction is different in that it is specific direction on something. It is the “do” this and “don’t do” that’s. Examples of this include reading the Word, praying, going to church, tithing, etc.
It’s amazing how multifaceted God and His Kingdom are. On one hand, we are given the written Word so we have instruction and principle, and on the other we have the Holy Spirit who works in conjunction with the Word to lead us and guide us in specific situations according to the principles in the Word. When He said He would not leave us orphans, He wasn’t kidding!
I love God’s reasoning for this in the next verse, 2 Timothy 3:17, “that the man (or woman) of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” God’s truth works in us, through us, and all around us because He wanted us fully equipped. The more that we learn to put to practice what His Word teaches the more we resemble all He intended us to be!
Wisdom first will lead to the source. The source is the Word of God and a firm place to build all your life on. With the help of the Holy Ghost and a good Bible teaching church you will mold your life into exactly what God intended it to be: full and blessed, walking out every thing He has for you to do!
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff
