1 John 2
We are walking in today: Without First Laws--Life is an Experiment!!!
We are walking in today: Without First Laws--Life is an Experiment!!!
Witness measure throughout the Bible: H4058 madad--to extend, continue, to be measured
The Torah ...............
Deuteronomy 21:2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure H4058 unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
The prophets ..................
Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured H4058 the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
The writings ...........................
Ruth 3:15 Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured H4058 six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured H4058 nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
1 John 2:3-4
3 What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be full.
The Power of Principles
“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.” —Victor Hugo, writer
When a consumer product is developed and produced, its manufacturer often publishes important information about it in a user’s manual that is packaged with the item. The manual is actually a book of “principles” indicating how the item functions, how to properly operate it, and how to make it last longer. Some of these principles might be: “Keep away from heat.” “Always clean appliance after using.” “Do not use near or place in water.”
Similarly, after creating the first human beings, the “Manufacturer” gave them valuable information about how they “functioned,” how to properly “operate” their lives, and how to ensure that their leadership would have longevity.
The Creator has “published” His principles and values in various ways in the Bible, which is, in effect, a “Corporate User’s Manual” for human beings. Some of these principles and values are included in compilations of moral standards, two of which are commonly known as the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. But many more may be discovered in its pages—
The Key to Leading Effectively
The key to living effectively on this earth is to know, accept, and apply the Manufacturer’s principles. Comprehending these principles will give us wisdom, and following them will make us leaders of character.
The Manufacturer—Not the Product— Sets the Principles
The first key property to understand about principles is that a manufactured product does not establish the principles by which it functions—the creator/manufacturer does.
The Purpose of Principles
These principles are not arbitrary but are specific to our purpose: We were meant to operate according to principles that can uphold our moral nature in God’s image and likeness. Therefore, it is in our best interest to understand and follow them.
“First Laws”
We have previously defined a principle as “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption,” “a rule or code of conduct,” and “a primary source.” The word principle is derived from two Latin words meaning “beginning” and “initiator.” Accordingly, principles refer to “first laws.”
The Creator’s “first laws” for life on earth pertain to both the physical and the moral (spiritual) realms. God instituted physical laws, such as the force of gravity, to govern our earthly environment, giving us the parameters for how we may function in the natural world.
Principles Are Permanent
Another key property of God’s principles is that they are unchanging, or permanent. We can resist them, but that does not alter them or the consequences of rejecting them.
Benefits of Knowing and Following the Creator’s Principles--Principles Safeguard Us from Substitutes
Principles enable us to build and maintain personal character as they govern and safeguard our lives. While the “first laws” are those the Manufacturer instituted and stated in His User’s Manual, there are other moral laws we must view with caution because they are substitutes for the originals.
When we try to add “new” principles that don’t fit in with the Creator’s original design—they become burdensome and damaging to us. Some people claim that shifting morals indicate social progress—leading the way for human development and reengineering. Such new laws may garner popular support, but they won’t cancel first laws, which, again, are as fixed, morally speaking, as physical laws are.
Psalms 119:93 I will never forget your precepts, for you have revived me with them.
Principles Simplify Our Lives and Decision-Making
Another reason the Creator’s principles are eminently valuable is that they simplify life. When you understand His principles, you know how to respond in a variety of situations—especially those that involve ethical questions. You must take time to learn God’s laws, but when you do, they will make many of your decisions clearer and easier.
Psalms 119:45 I will walk in liberty, for I seek your precepts.
The writer was saying that because he had “sought out” the Creator’s principles, he knew he would “walk about in freedom.” When we follow God’s first laws, we are liberated. We are, as we discussed, set free to make decisions about various issues and dilemmas without having to wonder what to do. If you study the Creator’s principles, you’ll become much wiser than many leaders today.
Principles Enable Us to Fulfill Our Potential
Violating the Creator’s principles will also prevent us from reaching our full potential. If we follow His laws, we can fulfill our destiny. If we don’t, we will never reach it.
Yet, if you were to violate a key principle related to the vehicle—for example, if you were to continue operating the car after allowing the oil pan to run dry, so that you ruined the engine—you would have nullified the manufacturer’s promises about its functioning. Similarly, the success of your future depends on your obedience to key principles established by your Manufacturer—the Creator.
Obedience is not a negative word. In this sense, to obey merely means to follow proven principles. Suppose you were to place grain seeds on a clean tile floor. When you came back after a few days, you would see that they had not sprouted or taken root. They need to be planted in soil to do that.
So, every time you plant seeds in the ground, you are submitting to the principle of growth established by the Creator. Likewise, when you adhere to His moral principles, you are submitting to a vital standard for fulfilling your personal potential as a leader.
As we saw earlier, the process of applying a principle requires that you must first know what the principle is (for example, you have to know that your car requires fuel to function). Second, you must value, or accept, the principle (you become convinced of the need to put fuel into your car). Third, you must act on the principle (by actually putting fuel into your car’s gas tank).
Without First Laws, Life Is an Experiment
When people don’t know or obey first laws, they begin to experiment with foundational elements of human life, including values and morals. These substitute laws are “experiments” because the people promoting them have little understanding of what is going to happen to individuals and society if the new laws are promoted and practiced.
Experimentation is beneficial and necessary in relation to scientific inquiry, creative endeavors, and so forth. But experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Distrust and Disillusionment
One outcome of society’s experimentation with ethics has been people’s growing distrust of authority, leading to their disillusionment. When leaders of all walks of life lack character and experiment with principles, their constituents don’t have anyone they can really trust.
By and large, in our society today, the younger generations don’t trust the older generations, and the older generations don’t trust the younger generations—or even themselves. Citizens don’t have confidence in their politicians, and politicians don’t have regard for the citizens. This widespread distrust has resulted in varying degrees of apathy, compromise, permissiveness, sexual confusion, a devaluation of human life, and a culture of violence and death.
Experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Lawlessness
“What’s right for you isn’t necessarily what’s right for me. Therefore, you can’t impose your standards on me.” This viewpoint can apply only so far, because our world was designed with fixed principles and moral absolutes, without which a society can’t function in a healthy way. And individuals must exercise personal responsibility in relation to these fixed principles and moral absolutes.
Experimentation in ethical issues results from not having—or acknowledging—moral references or parameters, so that nothing is “settled.” Instead, relativism and license take over. License contrasts with the freedom that is gained from following sound principles; it leads to lawlessness, which is a rejection of natural laws and standards.
Leaders who have not comprehended moral principles, or who have rejected them, have led us into lawlessness. It will take leaders who understand moral principles, who live by them, and who establish ethical policies to lead us back to lawfulness. Laws can help to create character as people adhere to them.
Experimentation Leads to Loss and Destruction
When leaders try to implement principles that they have fabricated, and that are in opposition to the Manufacturer’s first laws, “malfunctions” will occur. To act in a way contrary to the User’s Manual is to risk damage to the “product.”
Recommit to the Principles in the Corporate User’s Manual
It doesn’t make a difference what the current issues, trends, and fads may be—if you know and follow first laws, you will outlast temporal matters. Leaders of character do not live by transient movements or emotions but by solid principles. Again, emotions are part of the human makeup. However, leaders of character are not guided by how they feel on a particular day; they are guided by the principles that form their lifelong convictions and values.
If you violate the Manufacturer’s principles, you will contribute to the weakening of your nation, your company, or your organization. Recommitting to first laws is like rebooting a stalled computer by pushing the reset button—it allows us to return to the “original mode” where we can function as we were intended to. By studying and implementing the principles in the User’s Manual, you will avoid moral compromise and ethical missteps.
You will protect yourself from the negative effects that such mistakes inevitably have on other aspects of your life, including the exercise of your gifts and the realization of your potential. You will also gain much practical wisdom for leadership. You will be able to say, with the biblical writer, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”
Principles Enable Us to Fulfill Our Potential
Violating the Creator’s principles will also prevent us from reaching our full potential. If we follow His laws, we can fulfill our destiny. If we don’t, we will never reach it.
Yet, if you were to violate a key principle related to the vehicle—for example, if you were to continue operating the car after allowing the oil pan to run dry, so that you ruined the engine—you would have nullified the manufacturer’s promises about its functioning. Similarly, the success of your future depends on your obedience to key principles established by your Manufacturer—the Creator.
Obedience is not a negative word. In this sense, to obey merely means to follow proven principles. Suppose you were to place grain seeds on a clean tile floor. When you came back after a few days, you would see that they had not sprouted or taken root. They need to be planted in soil to do that.
So, every time you plant seeds in the ground, you are submitting to the principle of growth established by the Creator. Likewise, when you adhere to His moral principles, you are submitting to a vital standard for fulfilling your personal potential as a leader.
As we saw earlier, the process of applying a principle requires that you must first know what the principle is (for example, you have to know that your car requires fuel to function). Second, you must value, or accept, the principle (you become convinced of the need to put fuel into your car). Third, you must act on the principle (by actually putting fuel into your car’s gas tank).
Without First Laws, Life Is an Experiment
When people don’t know or obey first laws, they begin to experiment with foundational elements of human life, including values and morals. These substitute laws are “experiments” because the people promoting them have little understanding of what is going to happen to individuals and society if the new laws are promoted and practiced.
Experimentation is beneficial and necessary in relation to scientific inquiry, creative endeavors, and so forth. But experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Distrust and Disillusionment
One outcome of society’s experimentation with ethics has been people’s growing distrust of authority, leading to their disillusionment. When leaders of all walks of life lack character and experiment with principles, their constituents don’t have anyone they can really trust.
By and large, in our society today, the younger generations don’t trust the older generations, and the older generations don’t trust the younger generations—or even themselves. Citizens don’t have confidence in their politicians, and politicians don’t have regard for the citizens. This widespread distrust has resulted in varying degrees of apathy, compromise, permissiveness, sexual confusion, a devaluation of human life, and a culture of violence and death.
Experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Lawlessness
“What’s right for you isn’t necessarily what’s right for me. Therefore, you can’t impose your standards on me.” This viewpoint can apply only so far, because our world was designed with fixed principles and moral absolutes, without which a society can’t function in a healthy way. And individuals must exercise personal responsibility in relation to these fixed principles and moral absolutes.
Experimentation in ethical issues results from not having—or acknowledging—moral references or parameters, so that nothing is “settled.” Instead, relativism and license take over. License contrasts with the freedom that is gained from following sound principles; it leads to lawlessness, which is a rejection of natural laws and standards.
Leaders who have not comprehended moral principles, or who have rejected them, have led us into lawlessness. It will take leaders who understand moral principles, who live by them, and who establish ethical policies to lead us back to lawfulness. Laws can help to create character as people adhere to them.
Experimentation Leads to Loss and Destruction
When leaders try to implement principles that they have fabricated, and that are in opposition to the Manufacturer’s first laws, “malfunctions” will occur. To act in a way contrary to the User’s Manual is to risk damage to the “product.”
Recommit to the Principles in the Corporate User’s Manual
It doesn’t make a difference what the current issues, trends, and fads may be—if you know and follow first laws, you will outlast temporal matters. Leaders of character do not live by transient movements or emotions but by solid principles. Again, emotions are part of the human makeup. However, leaders of character are not guided by how they feel on a particular day; they are guided by the principles that form their lifelong convictions and values.
If you violate the Manufacturer’s principles, you will contribute to the weakening of your nation, your company, or your organization. Recommitting to first laws is like rebooting a stalled computer by pushing the reset button—it allows us to return to the “original mode” where we can function as we were intended to. By studying and implementing the principles in the User’s Manual, you will avoid moral compromise and ethical missteps.
You will protect yourself from the negative effects that such mistakes inevitably have on other aspects of your life, including the exercise of your gifts and the realization of your potential. You will also gain much practical wisdom for leadership. You will be able to say, with the biblical writer, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”
Shema Selah we are to walk in the fullness of the first laws to live in order and His liberty!!
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