Pursuing a Principled Life in Jesus

"He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king." John Milton - Paradise Lost

Jesus Christ while on earth was the ultimate principled man. And for all of us who have been born again by the Spirit of God and are seeking by the Spirit of God to follow Him as His disciples, we are called to walk in His steps. Indeed, we are called and enabled by Him to live a principled life in a very unprincipled world just as He did.

One of the reasons Jesus ministered in such power and authority while on earth was because He lived a principled life. The problem though in developing this thought or idea is no one in Scripture ever uses this word “principled” in speaking of Him, or in calling out we disciples to live such a life. So why am I choosing to use such a word?

Well because I believe it is a helpful term and Peter says in his second epistle that being around “unprincipled men” can oppress we disciples like it did Lot, and it can cause us to “be carried away by their error” and “fall from our own steadfastness.” That’s what we learn from the two passages wherein this word is used in the Updated New American Standard Version of the Bible:

II Peter 2:7 – “and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men”

II Peter 3:17 – “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,”

Unprincipled men…Perhaps before we explore what a principled man (or woman) would look like, we should make sure we understand what an unprincipled man looks like. What does it mean to be “unprincipled”?  Well this word is translated from the Greek word, athesmon, which only appears in these two passages (above) in the New Testament. It has the basic meaning of “lawless”. One scholar says, “It pictures them (these men in 2:7 & 3:17) as being rebels against the law not of Moses, but of nature and conscience.” Greek scholar Kenneth S. Wuest says this word “athesmos” can be “…translated as “lawless” and speaks of one who breaks through the restraints of law and gratifies his lusts.” Elsewhere he says, “The word is stronger than “anomos” also translated “lawless” because it is used especially of a divine ordinance, a fundamental law.” The idea being everyone knows and understands this law but these unprincipled men choose to harden their hearts and ignore it as if they themselves are the ultimate authority; as if they themselves are above the law. They might give lipservice to the law, but they are more driven by lusts.

The more I ponder this term in its context, the more I sense these unprincipled men are demonically empowered and thus we should not think lightly of their power to deceive and to influence towards ungodliness. When Peter warns that if we are not on guard all the time when around these unprincipled men (or women) we can be “carried away” by their error, it turns out this phrase “carried away” is the same Greek expression used of Barnabus when he was “carried away by their hypocrisy” (Galatians 2:13).  Barnabus was no spiritual slouch. He was used mightily of God as can be seen in numerous places in the book of Acts. He saw destiny and the hand of God on Paul before anyone else did. But both he and Peter fell into hypocrisy and disobedience due to the strong influence of the Judaizers to the point where Paul had to rebuke Peter to his face in front of others, which probably included Barnabus.

Unprincipled men or women under the church umbrella are a great danger to the health and vitality of Christ’s church. And one of the best ways to avoid this danger is to strive by His power and grace to be a principled man or woman like our Savior. The more one walks in a principled way, the more he or she will be alert to those who do not walk in a principled way. BTW – Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines being principled as “Established in opinion or in tenets; firmly fixed in the mind.”

You see unprincipled people live and operate according to their passions, lusts, and fleshly aspirations. They give in very easy to mob rule or mob opinions or popular culture. They do not operate according to principle. They give in very easy to “doctrines of demons” because their lifestyle opens them up to such. They may know of principles and even teach about principles, but when push comes to shove they will push aside principles and give into passions. They may seem in our church circles to agree with our principles, but their conduct and behavior Peter says is more based on sensuality, which has to do with the things that the world gets lit up about and pursues out of passion rather than exercising restraint due to principle.

Jesus of course is the ultimate example of living a principled life. For instance:

-              While the Pharisees were lovers of money, and greed and covetousness were at the base of their pursuits, Jesus was never once accused of any financial sin – even to this day. His love for Father and Holy Spirit and His love of righteousness or living by righteous principle protected Him from ever giving into financial temptation (see Matthew 4:8-10 & His two cleansings of the temple ), though we know He was tempted as we are – yet without sin.

-              While Jewish society in His day was marked by male dominance and misogynism, lust, acceptance of divorce, etc., Jesus remained sexually pure and righteous in His inner attitudes towards women, many who followed Him and His disciples throughout His ministry.

-              While large crowds followed Jesus and oohed and ahhed at His miracles, He was never lit up by that, and never spoke or acted to keep that going. In fact, He sometimes spoke and acted in ways that greatly thinned the crowds. Pleasing His Father was far more motivating to Him than trying to please man. Actually seeking to please man was never even on His radar.

-              Jesus didn’t just say or preach or teach that prayer was important. He practiced devotion to prayer no matter how much sleep He got or didn’t get, no matter how pressing His schedule was, no matter what the demands from the crowds were for Him, no matter whether His three closest disciples prayed with Him or not (remember each time He returned He found them sleeping), etc.

So if we have no scriptures that explicitly speak of being “principled” might there be a close synonym? Actually there are probably several, but I want to give some attention to only one of them and that would be the call to be “sensible” found only in the small book of Titus. We find in Paul’s letter to Titus that first elders are to be sensible – “For the overseer must be….sensible….” Titus 1:7,8. Then we are told older men are to be sensible – “Older men are to be …sensible…” Titus 2:2. Older women are commanded to teach younger women to be sensible, which implies they must be walking in it themselves – “Older women likewise…so that they may encourage the young women…to be sensible…” Titus 2:3,5 . Then Paul commands Titus to “…urge the young men to be sensible;” Titus 2:6.  So that pretty much covers all of us doesn’t it?  

What does it mean to be “sensible”? Well our English word “sensible” is translated from the Greek word, “sophrana”, which Wuest defines as “curbing one’s desires and impulses, self-controlled.” In Rienecker and Rogers’ “Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament” this word is defined as, “to be of a sound mind, to exercise self-control, to have one’s total life under control of the mind.” I would add to that, being solely guided by one’s principles, not passions.

To be sensible is not the same as having common sense. To be sensible or principled is to be firmly grounded in God’s truth - having settled in our hearts that we will not veer from it regardless of the consequences or pressure to do so.

So how can we disciples of Jesus be more principled or more sensible?  Well if we go back to Titus, Paul states, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” (Titus 2:11,12). As you and I learn more and more to operate solely by God’s grace or enabling power – depending upon Him moment by moment – His grace will in every situation we find ourselves in show us how to pull this off.

One of the ways I have found unprincipled men have sought to justify their “hidden” licentiousness or ungodliness or lack of principled living over the years is by claiming that discussion of being principled is bound up in legalism. They would then say we are not to live by law, but by grace. But Paul here says if we are truly living by grace, that grace will specifically instruct me to deny all ungodliness and all worldly desires and to live sensibly – to live a principled life.

May the Holy Spirit give us an ever greater passion to live a principled life and may the grace of God show us how to pull it off for His glory in Jesus’s name. Amen