Summary: These lessons include only a few of the basic principles that Christians must have in their lives. There are many more principles which are taught in the Bible that are just important as the ones discussed in the lessons here.

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES

INTRODUCTION: These lessons include only a few of the basic principles that Christians must have in their lives. There are many more principles which are taught in the Bible that are just important as the ones discussed in the lessons here.

I. LOVE

Love is defined as a person’s character and attitude of good will and kindness. It is recognizing how valuable, priceless, and precious an object is.

1. God is love. (I John 4:7-12, 16)

2. God’s love is shown to us in His redemption plan. Jesus died as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins. (Ephesians 2:4-7; Romans 8:32)

3. Real love is expressed in service. It requires action; rather than just saying I love. (I John 3:18)

4. Real love lasts forever and never ends. (I Corinthians 13:7-8) Nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:33-39)

5. Jesus gave a new commandment, that we love one another even as He has loved us. (John 13:34)

B. How is our love for God measured?

1. Our love for God is measured by our obedience to God’s word.(John 14:15,21,24; I John 5:3; II John1:6)

2. Our love for God is measured by how much we love our brother and fellow man.(I Peter 2:17; I John 3:10; 4:7-8; 11:20-21)

C. Why should I love other people?

1. I should love other people because God first loved me and gave Christ to die for my sins. (John 3:16-21; II Corinthians 5:14-15; 8:8-9; I John 4:9-10,19)

2. Without love for other people, anything else we do is vain and worth nothing. (I Corinthians 13:1-3)

3. Without love we cannot abide in God. (I John 4:16-17)

4. Without love we cannot be followers of Christ. (John 13:31-35; 15:12-17; Romans 8:28)

5. If we do not love our neighbor or brother, we cannot love God. (I John 4:20-21)

6. Love causes us to seek good for our neighbor. (I Corinthians 10:24)

D. Who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29-37; John 4:7-10)

1. My neighbor is not just the person who lives in the house next to me.

2. My neighbor is not just a person who lives in my own village.

3. My neighbor is anyone I meet in need whom I can help.

A. My neighbor is the man sick and in need whom I can help.

B. My neighbor is the orphan or widow in need whom I can help.

C. My neighbor is my enemy when he is hungry, thirsty, or in need. Christ tells us to love our enemies at all times. (Romans 12:20; Matthew 5:43-48)

D. Love will not let me hurt other people. (Romans 13:8-10)

E. We are to love our enemies. (Matthew 5:38-46; Luke 6:27-37; Romans 12:14-21; Proverbs 19:11; 24:17, 29; 25:21-22)

1. If we love our enemies, we will forgive them and not hold grudges against the. (Luke 6:27-37; Matthew 5:7)

2. Christ forgave His enemies when they were killing Him. (Luke 23:34)

3. Stephen forgave his enemies when they were killing him. (Acts 7:54-60)

F. Review questions

1. What is love?

2. How is the greatest commandment in the Bible?

3. What is the greatest commandment in the Bible?

4. Who is your neighbor? Discuss in detail.

5. How can we love our enemies?

II. HUMILITY

A. Humility is defined as the absence of haughtiness or pride of spirit. A humble person is not puffed up with self-importance.

B. Humility means to be willing to become the servant of other people. (Matthew 23:11-12; Mark 9:33-35)

1. Jesus did not come to earth to please Himself. (Romans 15:1-3)

2. Jesus became a servant and obeyed God. (Philippians 2:3-8)

3. Jesus served His disciples and washed their feet. (John 13:1-17)

4. Jesus became a servant so that we could have all spiritual blessings. (II Corinthians 8:9;4-5)

5. We should be servants to other people. (I Corinthians 9:18-23)

6. We should do good to all men. (Galatians 6:10)

7. For us to be first or great in God’s kingdom or church today, we must be servants of other people. (Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45)

C. Humility is unselfishness. It seeks to do good to other people, not just to seek pleasure and good things for ourselves. (I Corinthians 13:4-5; Romans 12:10)

D. Why should a man be humble?

1. God is against the proud but is in favor of the humble. (I Peter 5:5-6; 3:8; James 4:6-10; Proverbs 3:34)

2. God hates pride in a man. (Proverbs 8:13; 6:16-19; 16:5; Psalms 12:3-4; 73:1-28; 101:5)

3. Pride will destroy a man. (Proverbs 18:12; I Corinthians 10:12)

4. Pride is a sin.(II Timothy 3:2-9)

5. Pride will cause a man to teach things that are not in God’s word, the Bible. (I Timothy 6:3-10)

6. We are not to puff ourselves up, be high-minded, or think of ourselves as being better than other people. In God’s sight we are all equal. In God’s sight we are all the same. (Acts 10:34-35; Romans 12:3-19; I Corinthians 4:6-7; 5:2,6; 10:12-13,17-18; Colossians 3:25)

E. Review questions

1. What is humility?

2. Discuss the ways in which Christ was humble.

3. Why should a man be humble?

4. Discuss how pride can cause a man to cling to false doctrine even after he learns the truth.

5. Does humility mean that we can have no self-respect?

III. FORGIVENESS

A. Forgiveness means pardon. When one forgives, he stops feeling anger, resentment, or hatred against a man. He forgets about the harm someone has brought to him and gives up any desire to punish the wrongdoer. He does not hold a grudge against the one whom he has forgiven.

B. Why should I forgive other people?

1. I should forgive other people because Christ has forgiven my sins. (Acts 5:31; 26:18; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:13-14; 3:13-15; I John 1:9)

2. I should forgive other people because Christ has forgiven my sins. (Matthew 6:12-15; 15:21-35; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 6:37; 7:36-50; 11:4; 17:3-4)

3. If I do not forgive others, I cannot be pleasing to God when I worship.(Matthew 5:23-24)

C. How many times should I forgive someone who sins or commits wrong against me?(Matthew 18:21-22; Luke 17:3-4). There is no limit to how many times I should forgive someone. I must be willing to forgive someone every time he sins. When a person sins, he must repent for God to forgive him. God is willing to forgive. We must be willing to forgive also.

D. We need to treat other people as we want them to treat us. We must forgive others in the same way that we want them to forgive us when we sin against them. (Matthew 7:12; I Peter 3:9-12)

E. Here are some examples of forgiveness in the Bible.

1. Joseph forgave his brothers even after they has sold him into slavery. (Genesis 37:1-36; 45:1-15; 50:15-21)

2. David forgave Saul who tried to kill him. (I Samuel 17:17-58; 18:1-12,28-29; 19:8-10; 24:1-22; 26:1-25; II Samuel 1:5-12)

3. Jesus forgave His enemies who killed Him. (Matthew 26:36-75; 27:1-50; Mark 14:32-72; 15:1-39; Luke 22:39-71; 23:1-38; John 18:1-40; 19:1-37)

4. Stephen forgave the people who killed him. (Acts 7:54-60)

F. Review questions

1. What does it mean to forgive?

2. Why should a Christian forgive other people?

3. How many times should Christians forgive someone who sins against them?

4. Can a man worship God pleasingly if he does not forgive his brethren?

IV. HONESTY

A. To be honest means to be fair, trustworthy, truthful, free from trickery, or false sayings. An honest person will not steal, cheat, or lie. (Romans 12:17; 13:13; Philippians 4:8; I Thessalonians 4:12; I Timothy 2:1-2; Hebrews 13:18)

B. In what ways are we to be honest?

1. We are to be fair and truthful in business dealings and in trading. (Proverbs 20:20; Luke 6:31; II Corinthians 8:21)

2. Christians do not steal.

a. God commands us to work, not to steal. (Romans 2:21; Ephesians 4:28)

b. We cannot go to heaven if we steal. (Matthew 15:18-19; I Corinthians 6:8-10)

c. A thief has disobeyed God. (I Peter 3:13-17; 4:15-16)

d. We need to treat other people as we want them to treat us. (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31)

3. Christians do not lie.

a. Satan is the father of all lies. (John 8:44)

b. God cannot and does not lie. (Titus 1:1-3; Hebrews 6:18)

c. People who lie lead others away from God. (I Timothy 4:1-2)

d. We should speak the truth to one another. (Ephesians 4:25,29; Colossians 3:9-11)

e. Lying listed with many other great sins. We will be punished by God if we commit any of these sins. (I Timothy 1:9-10)

f. People who lie cannot go to heaven. They will be punished by God. (Acts 5:1-10; Revelation 21:8,27; 22:14-15)

g. It is better to be poor and truthful than to be an untruthful rich man. (Proverbs 19:22; 21:6)

h. God hates lying. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

C. Examples of people in the Bible who were dishonest

1. The Devil lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:4-5)

2. Peter lied, saying he never had known Jesus. Peter was an apostle of Jesus. (Matthew 26:69-75)

3. Ananias and Sapphira lied about their money. They were punished by death. (Acts 5:1-10)

4. Men lied about Jesus when they killed Him. (Matthew 26:59-61; Mark 14:54-59)

D. Christians must exercise honesty in matters of employment.

1. We must be honest and fair to our employees. (James 5:4)

2. When someone employs us to work for him, we should be honest, offering good work for the pay we receive. (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31; Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:23)

E. We must be honest with God’s word. Do not teach false things about the Bible or change what the Bible says. Be honest and teach what the Bible says. God will punish us if we change His word. (II Corinthians 4:1-2; Galatians 1:6-9; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:22; Revelation 22:18-19)

F. Review questions

1. What does it mean to be honest?

2. Is it right for a Christian to be a Hindu in order to receive concessions from the government?

3. Why is it wrong to steal and lie?

4. Should we lie in order to receive money or food if our family is hungry?

5. Will the dishonest inherit eternal life?

6. Discuss how dishonesty is contrary to the nature of God.

V. GIVING

A. God showed His love for us by giving His only Son so that we could be saved. (John 3:16) Christ gave His life on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. (Ephesians 5:1-2) Christ showed His love for God for man by giving. We also as Christians show our love for God and for Christ by giving of that which we have. Christianity is a life of giving. (Romans 12:1)

B. Examples of giving

1. A poor widow gave all her living. (Mark 12:41-44)

2. The Christians in Jerusalem gave their possessions and goods. (Acts 2:45)

3. The Macedonian Christians gave. (II Corinthians 8:1-5)

a. They were deep in poverty but gave what they could (vs. 2).

b. They gave beyond their ability and of their own accord (vs. 3).

c. They saw the opportunity to help in the Lord’s work by giving (vs. 4).

d. They first gave themselves to the Lord (vs. 5).

C. What can we give?

1. God has given us all that we have, and we are to use what we have in God’s service.

a. God owns all things. (Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 24:1; 50:10; I Corinthians 10:26)

b. We are to use what God has given us in His service. (I Corinthians 6:19; 4:1-2; I Peter 4:10)

2. Like the Macedonians, we must first give ourselves to the Lord.

a. This means that we must first give our whole life in service to God. As Christians we are instruments of righteousness which God uses to bring others to Him. (Romans 6:13)

b. We can give God our time to study His word, to tell others about Christ, to pray, to worship, and to do good things for others.

c. We honor God by giving of what we have to Him. (Proverbs 3:9)

D. How should Christians give?

1. The early Christians in Jerusalem gave as they were prospered on the first day of the week when they came together for worship. (I Corinthians 16:2)

2. Christians should give of a willing mind. (II Corinthians 8:12)

3. We should purpose in our own hearts how much to give. (II Corinthians 9:7)

4. We should give cheerfully. (II Corinthians 9:7)

5. We love God because He first loved us. (I John 4:19) Likewise we give because God first gave His only son for our sins.

E. Review questions

1. What is God’s greatest gift to mankind?

2. Discuss ways in which the brethren at Macedonia gave. Read II Corinthians 8:5.

3. What can a poor man give to God?

4. Discuss what it means to give cheerfully.

5. Is it important that we give even if we are poor? Give reasons for your answer.