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The Bible says that God has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” 2 Peter 1:3

Not only does God reveal to us the way of Salvation, but He also reveals to us the way of godly living. How do we discover how to live a godly life? 

In the Word of God, this is discovered by explicit commands and Bible principles. 

Explicit commands plainly state specific guidance the Lord has for us concerning godly living. 
Matthew 28:18-20 – We are commanded to be witnesses and be baptized.
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 – We are commanded to observe the Lord’s Supper.
Matthew 19:18 – We are commanded not to murder, commit adultery, steal or lie.

Principles are found throughout the Word of God and apply to a variety of situations. Some commands are also principles. For instance, we are to love thy neighbor as thyself (Romans 13:9). How you demonstrate that love will be in a variety of ways. 

Some examples: 

Sowing And Reaping
Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

If I sow in anger, I will reap the consequences of anger. (to the flesh)
If I sow the Word of God in my heart, I will reap the benefits of having hid the Word of God in my heart. (to the Spirit)
If I sow dishonesty (to the flesh) I will reap a life that cannot be trusted by others.
If I sow the gospel, I will reap joy from obedience to the Lord and reward in eternity. 

General Rule For Worship
1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

In the church of Corinth, according to verses 26-40 it seems that the church meetings were like the wild-wild-west. In Paul’s words, “every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation.” (vs. 26) The worship of God should be done decently and in order. We can surmise broad principles from this: 1. The church meetings ought to be ordered and done the best we can. 2. On a broader note, God loves order, not disorder. We can apply this principle even in our personal lives. 

The Principle of Offence
Romans 14:15 “But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”

This principle says I will not offend my brother, even if I have liberty to act. In this case, brothers were offended or stumbled by other Christians eating discounted meat offered to idols. Since it was an offence, this principle says, I will abstain from eating this meat. This could be any variety of situations. 

Convictions – Convictions are personal and should be based on biblical principles. We also develop convictions based on our own issues of life. For instance, in some 3rd world countries, they do not have the issue of walking down the alcohol aisle because there is no store within hundreds of miles where they live. While others who have trouble with alcohol or believe it may hinder their testimony develop the conviction not to walk down the alcohol aisle.

Another example may be found in dress standards, which can be largely cultural. We know that we are to dress in such a way as to distinguish genders. We also know that we should not provide a situation as to tempt a brother or sister to sin through their eyes, but there is no specific dress code outlined in the Bible. In very warm climates, for example, people may wear short-sleeve button-up shirts as a high dress standard versus a full suit. 

Convictions are not the Bible; they are borne out of biblical principles. If I determine I am going to give God my best by dressing up in a suit and tie on Sunday, this is a conviction. (See Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:23, Consider also Genesis 41:14, Joseph changed clothes to go into the presence of the king.)

As a matter of conviction, I may decide to not watch TV to fulfill the principle found in Psalm 101:3 “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:…”  To someone else, they may have a TV and only watch the weather channel, but for me it may be a temptation to waste time. 

Convictions should be developed personally and for the family unit. 

Standards - Standards are rules that are set within different God-given realms of authority. Standards may be Bible and may not be Bible. For instance, setting a standard for your son or daughter to be home by 10:00pm may be good for your family based on a Bible principle (1 Thessalonians 5:5,7), but it is not Bible. Other families may decide that 9:00pm is the time my child needs to be home. 

You may have a standard for your family that we will not lie. This is set forth by your family, but it is also an explicit command of God. Therefore, even if you did not make it known as a standard you are still accountable.