principled
read›
Luke 13:10-21
This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham,
has been held in bondage by Satan for
eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be
released, even on the Sabbath? (v.16).
Teaching in a Christian preparatory school, I am
accustomed to including an “honor code” on each
quiz and test that my students take. Because they
live in a world of moral relativism, some students are
accustomed to signing on the line even when they’ve
cheated. Recently I had to turn a student in for cheating,
and as I watched the administration seek to respond
with grace and justice, I saw in action what Jesus tried
to impart to those around Him. People and principles go
hand-in-hand.
Comfortable in their list of rules, the Pharisees
couldn’t understand why Jesus would heal a woman on
the Sabbath (Luke 13:12-14). Due to their own selfrighteousness,
they missed the point—and the grace of
God. The rule was to put aside work in order to save the
Sabbath for God’s glory alone. Jesus’ point? What better
way to glorify God than by allowing Him to do the work
of healing. They saw the law; Jesus saw the person.
In our dealings with others, we need to hold fast to the
truth of God’s Word and its principles. To become passive
in our response to sin is to build our houses on shifting
sand (Matthew 7:26). Jesus came to show us that the law
for the sake of the law brings only death (Romans 4:15),
but implementing the law to demonstrate our need for
Jesus brings life (3:19-24).
God’s justice and His mercy are not opposing forces.
The purpose of mercy is to make way for grace, and extending grace doesn’t
mean setting aside principles. Grace understands that the true purpose behind
any standard is found in what Jesus lifted up as the most important of all—Godcentered
love (Mark 12:30-31). —Regina Franklin
more›
Read Micah 6:8 to
discover how we should
live out both God’s mercy
and His justice.
next›
Are there places in
your life where you
have become more
focused on a principle
than a person? In what
specific areas have
you experienced God’s
mercy? How have you
been transformed by His
grace?
