Principle or Custom?

            "In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the 

               Commandment  of men"' ---- MATTHEW 15 : 9 

       We have seen that our task in biblical interpretation is to seek the original meaning of each text. The books of Scripture were written in times and place quites different from our own, and as we seek to understand and apply the Bible to our lives it is helpful to know what the authors of Scripture were attempting to say to their own times. But having reached an understanding of the original meaning, we must ask another question: It is proper to apply this teaching to our  lives? In other words, do some teaching of Scripture express merely local customs while other parts express enduring principle?

       A custom is a practice of a certain people at a certain time at a certain locality; it is a matter of preference or expediency and need not be maintained. A principle, however, is a teaching, admonition or precept that is trans-cultural, applying to all people of all times in all places; it must be maintained Customs include the language spoken, the clothing styles worn, and the currency traded by a people. A clear scriptural principle is that there is to be no idolatry. However, there are many biblical teaching that inspire much debate. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul teaches that women should cover their heads in worship. Is this a custom of Paul's time or should it be continued as a principle? Similarly, Jesus sends His disciples out with the command that they take nothing ( Matt.10:9-10 ); is evangelism always to be done this way? And should we continue the first-century custom of foot-washing? The list goes on and on.

        To decide such issues, we first should remember that the Bible recognize the ecistence of customs. Within its pages, we see changes in numerous cultural norms. Second, we should allow for Christian distinctives. Paul bases his head- civering directives on the principle female submissin, nut commentators sometimes speculate that he made his command because prostitutes of the day left their heads uncovered. Such speculation bypasses Paul's own rationale. Third, we should look for links to creation. For instance, Jesus appealed to creation to answer a question about divorce in Matthew 19:4-6. Creation principles must always be observed. Finally, when a matter is unclear, it is best to treat it as a principle. By doing so we will be, at worst, over scrupulous, but that is far better than dismissing a divine directive.