Jesus teaches principles in the Bible that are the opposite of the principles of the world that we live in. These principles teach us the way that the Kingdom of God will function. They show us a way to live that brings Life rather than suffering and pain. We were created to live according to these principles. As followers of the King, we can begin living according to these radically backwards principles right now.
Here are six of Jesus’ backward Kingdom principles.
The first principle is: Honor Others Above Yourself (Rom. 12:9-10 Jn. 15:12-13, Phil. 2:3-4). Honoring others above ourselves means to put others’ needs and desires ahead of our own. Instead of sacrificing others interests to make ourselves happy, we sacrifice our interests to make others happy. Jesus demonstrated this kind of other-centered love by giving up his life for us. We were made for self-giving, other directed love. When we are self-centered we are less of ourselves. We are not who we were created to be. God knows that the only way that we, who have been created in His image, can have true joy, is if we center our entire lives around others, instead of ourselves. However, I think that this is only possible if we are getting our needs met in God. We all have needs for love and acceptance, but we were created to get our needs met in God and then to give ourselves sacrificially to others. And I believe that loving others selflessly from the abundance that we have from God, absolutely does give us true joy and happiness.
The second principle is: Put Our Security in God Rather Than Money (Matt. 6:19–34; Luke 12:29-34; 1 Tim. 6:6-10 and 17-19; Heb. 13:5). Jesus instructs us not to worry about food, or our bodies, or clothes. He also instructs us not to love money or try to get rich, but to just be content with what we have. The Bible says that the reason we can have contentment is that God is with us and he will not leave us. The truth is that money will not care for and protect us. Money provides false security, but God provides true security. The Bible not only teaches us to be content with what we have, but also to be generous and willing to share with those in need.
The third principle is: Love Your Enemies Rather than Repaying Evil for Evil (1 Pet. 3:9; Rom. 12:17-20; Matt. 5:38-44; James 4:11-12: Matt. 7:1-5; Luke 6:37-42; Rom. 2: 1-4; John 8:7). Jesus instructs us to bless those who insult you, turn the other cheek, and pray for those who persecute you. We are taught not to judge others because we are just as guilty; and judgement is not our role. This is extremely backwards according to our culture. Our culture believes that we are entitled to retribution for offenses. But, we were not created to judge and punish one another. God is the only one who has the authority to judge. Laying down our entitlement to judge and punish others actually leads to deeper and healthier relationships.
The fourth the principle is: Lose Your Life to Find It (Matt. 10:37-39; Matt. 16:25; Jn. 12:25). This principle teaches that we must give up our dependence upon anything other than God, for our significance, safety, love, acceptance and purpose. The examples that Jesus gives are family and relationships. But there are many things that we depend on besides God. Some examples are success, money, love and approval of people, appearance, intelligence, competence, etc. We must transfer our dependence from other things to God, to be able experience the true Life that God offers. God is the Life Source that we were created to depend on. All other life sources lead to chronic insecurity, comparison, and disappointment.
The fifth principle is: Serve Others Rather than Be Served. Use your power and authority for the benefit of others (Matt 20:24-28; John 13:12-17; 1 Peter 5:2-3; Eph. 5:22-29). Jesus teaches us not to “Lord it over” people. “Lord it over” means to act arrogantly, as if you are better or more important than others and to use your power to domineer over others. Jesus taught that those in authority should use their power to serve others, not to serve themselves. Jesus exemplified this by washing the disciple’s feet, a dirty job that those in authority don’t normally do. Jesus always treated all people with respect and dignity, no matter what their station in life. This is a very backward way of thinking. In our culture, once someone gains power, they believe that because they have earned it, they deserve to use their power to make things go their way and protect themselves from scrutiny and accountability. They believe that if those under them want things to go their way, they will have to earn it as well. But God has given us the resources of power and authority for the purpose of bringing life to everyone and everything around us, not for our own glory. We were created for giving to and serving others, not for centering around our selves.
And the sixth backwards principle is: Look Out for the Weak Rather than Yourself. (James 1:27; Isa. 1:17; Matt. 25:37-40) The Bible teaches that Kingdom people look after orphans and widows, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. All humans have value and dignity and we are all one people. We are created to be a community of people, not simply individuals. Those of us who have strength and means must look out for the weak and poor. When we deny others we deny our own humanity.
