Foundations of Biblical Principles and Instructions

Introduction

Biblical principles and instruction refer to the ways God conveys His message to humans on how to live in His ways. The principles are usually connected to nature and the life of humans in such a way that they enable them to understand their purpose in the service of God. For instance, the entire New Testament in the Bible follows a Principle-Doctrine for initial parts of the texts followed by the Practical-Duty part (Beckwith, Craig, & Moreland, 2009). The foundations of Biblical principles and instructions are the underlying factors affected or resulting in the creation of the principles.

There are several foundational elements of the principles and instructions contained in the Bible. This paper seeks critically and extensively to discuss three of the most important foundational elements. The elements selected for this discussion are the restoration of the powers of miracles, knowledge recovery, and the renovation of people’s souls. These foundations are chosen for the fact that a lot of reference material is available for them, and they are well documented. An appendix will also be provided for the key terms employed in the paper.

Restoration of the Powers of Miracles

One foundation of Biblical Principles and instruction is the restoration of miraculous powers. God is in control of all human activities on earth. He is able to perform miracles in the midst of His people since He controls nature. In the times of the Bible, God usually performed miraculous feats in the faces of the people. He still does this to date, but human beings are growing out of the understanding of how his miracles work. The Bibles principles and instruction are thus geared towards driving people to understand the miraculous powers of the Kingdom. For instance, Christians are urged that whatever they ask for in faith, they will receive because faith has the power to move mountains.

Each and every person has the principles and instruction of God in their heart. Human beings have the power to discern between what is right and what is wrong. We are; however, susceptible to committing a sin which leaves us unable to approach God and ask for his miraculous powers. Human beings can deal with the susceptibility to committing sins by understanding the principles of God and practicing them in their daily lives. Total integration of God into the lives of Christians is essential to start experiencing his miraculous powers (Moreland, 2007).

Another possible explanation of this element is that people are born with a great connection with God. This can change along the way as they receive education on other things in life will ignore the word of God. People get to a point where they start to ask questions about their beliefs in Gods. This happens to children as they grow older (Gutek, 2012). The questions shake their faiths leading them to veer off from the ways of God. This can prevent them from experiencing the power of God. The principles and instructions of the Bible are crafted to bring these people back to God where they can experience His power. Principles help them acknowledge that there is God, and he is in control of every aspect of human lives.

A person that has been able to live by the principles and instructions has the ability to experience the miracles of God. For instance, they can be able to hear from God directly or indirectly in a subconscious manner. Just like a shepherd calls his sheep by name and they hear and come, so does God call his own. By understanding the Bible, one receives the ability to receive information miraculously on what is expected of them by God and how they should go about it. God requires human beings to be obedient to His voice. Regeneration of the hearts of human beings so as to be able to experience such miracles is thus one foundation of the Bible.

God takes care of His own people. This can be seen in numerous incidences in the Bible. For instance, he led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they were facing suffering and persecution. He gave Moses the power to command miracles to happen, and this proved of benefits to the release of the Israelites from captivity. He also took care of the Israelites in the desert providing them with food, shelter, and victories all the way to Canaan. He always forgave them when they sinned against Him provided they asked for forgiveness. In the New Testament, Jesus brought back to life a righteous man known as Lazarus. Job, the servant of God also received miraculous healing and had his wealth restored because of his faith in God. Throughout the Bible, these examples are given to serve as a reminder to human beings that God is a God of miracles. He is able to turn deeds that are beyond humans.

People are given the choice to decide whatever actions they take. God gives every person the power of free will. This means he does not control the decision one decides to take. Instructions are however provided in the Bible on the rights and wrongs. The decision to respect or ignore the principles lies with the individual. In a bigger perspective, the Bible gives two choices to humans: to choose death or life, and blessing or curses. People always need to ask themselves the consequences of the actions they want to take so as to get God's perspective on the issue. However, due to human nature, some of the decisions made are not wise. Negative consequences result from these choices, and many spend large amounts of times beating themselves about them (Moreland, 2007). The Bible serves to instill spiritual discipline which can assist humans in making the right choices in life.

Knowledge Recovery

The recovery of knowledge is the other foundation of Biblical principles and instructions. God bestows profound knowledge in every man. People, however, are sometimes unaware of the knowledge they possess or the ways to use it for the good of humanity. This is where the Biblical principles and instructions come in handy. The principles are formulated with a goal to help human beings to harness the knowledge within them. By following God’s instructions, humans have the ability to express and apply knowledge that surpasses what they think they are capable of.

Human beings are faced with the struggle between the life of flesh and the spiritual life with God. They are often times overwhelmed by the things of the world such as money and power that they fail to realize God’s true purpose for them in life. They refuse to surrender to God their lives which make them lead a life of lies (Willard, 2008). The Only way to grasp true knowledge is to be back to God. People take a while to notice this, but once they do, they receive knowledge previously hidden to them. God is always waiting to receive his children when they turn back to him. Our minds are responsible for the actions our flesh does. Knowledge recovery is a foundation in the Bible principles that helps us master the control of what we are capable of. Humans have full responsibility for the sins they commit. They can, however, pray to God, and he will grant them forgiveness. He will also restore knowledge into their minds.

People are made in the image and resemblance of God. This means that people can achieve his morality. They also possess his knowledge. People are blessed with an inquisitive characteristic that drives them to seek knowledge and new ways to do things. Inventions made by human beings are as a result of this inquisitiveness and the need to make life easier for humans. When God created human beings, he gave the ability beyond other animals. The ability is the form of knowledge. He then gave them the Bible to provide guidance on how to achieve the knowledge in them. The Principles and instructions outlined in the Bible were created so as to enable humans recover this knowledge and do as much as God intends for them to do.

When King Solomon was asked to request for anything he desired from God, he requested for wisdom. He never asked for wealth or other powers but only for knowledge. He understood that the wisdom could enable him to rule his kingdom more effectively. God granted knowledge of many of His prophets and disciples in the Bible too. He gave Moses the ability to lead the Israelites despite his speech difficulty. He also gave Joshua the knowledge to lead a successful army. His son, Jesus Christ great understanding of the scriptures which he used in preaching to the people of the good news of God. All these stories prove that knowledge is very important to human beings. The Bible’s principles seek to restore it to those who believe.

People try their best to be in good terms with God. This can be by following the instructions in the Bible and repentance when they make the faults against Him. People need to obey God and perform deeds that are pleasing to him. In the Bible, it’s stated that people labor to be accepted by God. Without God, life to a human being is empty and desolate. They lack knowledge and guidance in what they do and are therefore more prone to making wrong decisions that could be detrimental. People that go away from the principles of the Bible get themselves into evil pleasures that cannot satisfy their desires. It is only by going back to God that one can receive true understanding of the fact that they are born to please God (Moreland, 2007). Restoration of this knowledge is one of the foundations of the words in the Bible.

Renovation of People’s Souls

Human beings contain souls that are tainted by sin. There is no man in the world that can be righteous like Jesus was. Everyone is prone to making mistakes once in a while even if they lead a holy life. It is just the nature of human beings. It is also the reason God provided the option of repentance to go back to Him. He is a forgiving God and forgives anyone that repents for whatever they do wrong. Once one has repented, their soul is renovated and becomes crystal clean without sin. The Bible is created with this in mind and provides principles that can help a person receive restoration of the soul (Moreland, 2007).

God creates every person and gives them a purpose and destiny in the world. In the Bible, it is described that God knows human beings even before they are formed in their mother’s wombs. He understands their every move, but gives them free will to choose what is right for them. God gives them guidance through the Bible whose adherence is optional. The choices they make affect their relationship with God. God, however, has good thoughts for human beings: thoughts of peace and not evil, and thoughts to give the people an expected good ending. God has good plans for everybody. It does not matter how much a person has regressed from the ways of the Lord. They can still receive restoration for the souls and accepted back into the company of God.

When in the light of God, negative dispositions are combated with positive ones. For instance love and kindness are mentioned in the Bible as the recipe to get rid of numerous negative aspects of human life. Things such as anger, lust and resentment can lead people to commit evil deed in the face of God. God is the source of all good things. By seeking the Kingdom of God, humans receive every other good thing. Love, kindness, and many others are fruits of the Holy Spirit provided to human beings from God. God also encourages people in the Bible to repay bad deeds with good ones. It is the only way to beat negativity (Willard, 2008). The Biblical principles also teach people to avoid situations that could stir up negative dispositions. Souls are renovated through adherence to these principles and instructions.

In the Bible, sinners are destined to suffer and burn in hell. This is only the case if they fail to seek repentance and continue in their evil ways. Whenever the Israelites strayed from God’s ways, Moses prayed, and they received forgiveness. Their souls were restored to their previous clean forms. Other instances exist where people repented of their sins and received forgiveness. The Bible states that when one receives God in their lives, they become a new thing under God and are protected by Him. These examples give human beings the hope for the restoration of their souls if they adhere to instructions given by God in the Bible.

The Bible teaches people about how to receive restoration of their souls through other examples and narratives. This serves to make it easier for human beings to understand the steps to soul renovation. For instance, Jesus urged people not to retaliate, but turn the other cheek whenever they are faced with aggression. In some instances, people repay the good deeds with the wrong ones. This should not be the case for a person that understands the Bible. It advocated for fair and just treatment for everybody. It does not matter whether the person is a friend or an enemy. Both the heart and brain should be involved in the process of following the principles and instructions presented. Once one is able to apply the teachings, their souls receive restoration.

Humans desire to make their lives better by acquiring knowledge, and exploration of new environments and ways of doing things. This desire is as strong as that to do other activities in life. Even at a tender age, children are known to be inquisitive as they get to learn new things about their universe. Adults sometimes get annoyed by this question, but it is always prudent to answer them as it helps the children learn and is a sign of their intelligence. God’s principles and instruction can also be learnt just as other things are learnt. His words speak to our hearts and minds. The information received guides people as they learn other things. God always has an answer for every question forwarded by a human being. His guidance in the form of Biblical principles and guidelines is, therefore, important for human restoration.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the foundation of Biblical principles is to bring human beings closer to God and enable them to enjoy the fruits of His kingdom. God created human beings out of his goodness and likeness. He bestowed upon them knowledge beyond any other animals and gave them the authority over all the things on earth. He, however, allows free will. Humans are free to do whatever they please, but there are reparations for sin. Because he did not want men to perish, He gave his son to die for their sins. He also gave them a manual that would help them lead righteous lives in the form of the Bible. The bible provides them with the principles and instructions they need to be one with the kingdom of God. The concepts of the Bible are created under a particular foundation and aim in the lives of human beings as has been discussed in the paper.

References

Beckwith, F. J., Craig, W. L., & Moreland, J. P. (Eds.). (2009). To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview. InterVarsity Press.

Gutek, G. L. (2012). Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education: A Biographical Introduction. United States: Pearson.

Moreland, J. P. (2007). Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit's Power . Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Willard, D. (2008). Spiritual Formation and the Warfare between Flesh and the Human Spirit. Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care , 1, 79-87.

Appendix

Definition of key terms

Restoration – This refers to the act of getting something back to a satisfactory state. In the text, the word has been used to refer to the foundation of instructions in the Bible to bring back human beings to the miraculous acts of God.

Knowledge – Knowledge is the psychological result when a person learns something. In the paper, it has been used to refer to the information received by human beings from God that guide them in their endeavors in the world.

Renovation – This is the act of renewing, improving or restoring something. Its context in the paper is to refer to how the Biblical principles and instructions are created to help return man from his lost ways to the ways of God through the restoration of his soul.