Custom vs. Principle

The claims that are in the Bible are the result of the world and the culture that they were written in and they can’t be applied today.

• Context - Consider the whole context of a book and then consider the whole context of the entire Bible
• Custom vs. Principle - How to decipher between a Custom and a Principle
• Community

Custom vs. Principle

How can we distinguish cultural norms and customs from overarching principles in the Bible?

Two meanings of word Custom 

- “Tradition”The word tradition comes from the Latin, meaning "handing over, passing on" - “Social Norm”Social norms are the behavioral expectations and cues within a society or group. Failure to follow the rules can result in severe punishment, including exclusion from the group.

Biblical Principle

Biblical principles are God's way of conveying to mankind how to live, and to Christians the path of progressive maturity in the faith. These principles are interwoven into the fabric of human beings and nature, so that as we relate to them we are able to understand God's way of life for us. 

How to decipher between a Custom and a Principle

1. Ask when the passage in question was created
2. Ask who it was originally given to (OT covenants; NT covenants; Specifically to an individual or to a group: Specifically to the Jewish Nation or Specifically to NT believers)
3. Remember the difference between OT and NT:        
   

One of the most obvious and most ignored truths of biblical reality is that the word "testament", as used in Old and New Testament, is interchangeable with the word "covenant." ...In our modern world this is known as a "contract". Logic defines "old" as what was, and "new" as what is. In the context of the Bible, the Old Testament is the former contract God made with man, specifically the nation of Israel. The New Testament is the current contract God has made with all mankind.

           In the normal course of the affairs of honest contractual dealings in society, the institution of a "new" contract either nullifies or redefines an existing one...and the former contract is deemed no more than an historical reference. The doctrinal practice of mainstream Bible-based religion is a strange blending of the old and new contracts that dictates those doctrines. By enforcing some of the old contract's provisions, and some of the new contract's stipulations, while ignoring many of the old and most of the new contract's aspects, they have in fact created a completely separate and totally illegitimate third contract. The treatment of women by the mainstream church is based almost solely on the provisions of the old contract which, of course, insures total domination by men resulting in the extreme deprivation of women in every aspect of their lives.

          The God who was party to the Old Testament / Contract, became the man Jesus who was party to the New Testament / Contract. It is, therefore, absolute truth that doctrines / provisions of Jesus redefine the old contract with the nation of Israel and those past doctrines are of no effect, being replaced or fulfilled by the new. To deny this is to deny the power and authority of the Holy Spirit which guided Jesus in the formation of this new contract and must be strongly considered in the light of this doctrinal certainty:Matthew 21:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

4. If you want to apply an OT passage as a life-principle, find proof for it in the NT
5. After finding this proof, figure out whether it is itself a custom or a principle (you’ll need to search for the context of the NT passage, including the culture that the issue is addressed in, the person or people that the issue is addressed to, and the practice of, or abstention from, the issue in the New Testament church as a whole.

Never disregard the question of custom vs. principle when applying Scripture to your life, and never form an opinion on a specific topic without first doing the work.