The Word of The Lord, Our Only Real Standard

Posted on May 16th, 2011

Whatever people may believe about God, creation, sin, or judgment, we all have some moral standard to which we compare our lives. It usually starts with our own conscience: This seems right to me and that seems wrong, therefore I will do this - or else, I will come up with a way to rationalize doing that. The ability to rationalize is the problem with relying solely on our conscience - it can be darkened and silenced by the wickedness and deceit of our hearts (Jer. 17:9, Rom. 1:28).

It is also natural to compare ourselves to a moral standard commonly accepted by others: Everybody does such-and-such, so it must be okay. This is no standard at all, because the norms of society are also subject to radical changes. A hundred years ago, for instance, fornication was generally looked on as what it is, a serious sin against God and one's own body (1 Cor. 6:18). Today, it is universally accepted in society and often accepted in the church, where it tends to be viewed as a mistake we need to rectify, not a sin for which we need to repent. If yesterday's taboos are today's norms, what does that say about the future of today's few taboos? Clearly, the opinions of others make an unreliable and even self-destructive standard.

Nor will it do to make ourselves feel better by staying a few steps behind our neighbors in this downward race. "At least I don't do such-and-such like so-and-so" is a common - and useless - justification for doing what we know is wrong (2 Cor. 10:12).

Very early in human history, people developed standards of measurement in order to meaningfully compare things like quantities, weights, and distances. In doing so, they were only imitating the Creator, who has established certain fixed, perfect standards of right and wrong that never change. He clearly laid out these standards in something else that never changes - his Word, the Bible (Isa. 40:8).

Timing yourself with a slow watch or measuring yourself with an elastic tape won't make you any faster or thinner in reality, because the standard will remain the same. Similarly, it doesn't matter whether we subscribe to God's standard or not; it remains the one and only standard today, and it will still be the one and only standard when we come before his judgment seat.

We can't say we didn't know what the standard was, and we can't say we couldn't meet it, because the perfect life of Jesus Christ is available to us through the Holy Spirit. We should keep our eyes always on Him, not on the flailing, falling world. We should spend our time taking in the sincere milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2), not listening to the vain philosphies of man (Prov. 19:27). If we do this, our lives will be anchored in the solid rock of God and his Word, not tossed to and fro with our own inconsistent thoughts or the ever-changing ideas of the world.

"The Word of the Lord is forever sure" - listen to the song by ICHTHUS.