But God Has A Standard

I discovered nothing bothers the mind of most Christians who are just exposed to the Grace and true character of God as revealed in the Gospel as the statement, "but God has a standard" or "has the standards of God changed?"

Even among leaders and ministers, understanding what the standard of God is has always been an issue.

I remember going back to the hotel I was lodged for a programme few years ago how the ministers who were in the same programme with me, argued back and forth among themselves about this topic.

Turning to a much older minister by my side I said, "sir do you see our problem as African preachers? Instead of meditating on the things we have just heard concerning the Gospel, we're here arguing."

It turned out the older minister was even looking for someone to also argue on the same issue. As it is in my nature, I gave no room for it.

What is this "standard of God" that sends shivers down the spines of so many people?

Let's find out together in this post.

For many people, the "standard of God" is a pattern of dressing, eating, behaviour or even worship as found in the old testament books of the Bible, that can NEVER change and SHOULD NEVER change.

To this people, carefully living by the decrees of the Law (the Ten Commandments, Statutes and Judgements) is equivalent to "living by or upholding the standards of God."

As good and tickling as that may sound to the moralist, it is worth noting that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob never lived by any "Law" and yet the scriptures testified that they pleased God.

If Samson, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Moses (the man who gave but never lived by the Law) could be said to have "pleased God" and are righteous despite the inconsistencies in their behaviours and them not following any set of moral rules, then we need to take up our thinking caps and ask what is this God's Standard about.

I mean I could have easily accepted Enoch to be an example of a man who lived by God's Standard if it were about man's performance or behaviours. But what is a name like Samson's, Abraham, David and even hot tempered Moses doing in Hebrew's list of righteous men who pleased God?

It then suggests to us that whatever it was about them that pleased God, has nothing to do with their behaviours, dressing, meals etc. Hence God's Standard can never be the Law that centred on man's performance.

Even if you can keep the Law (though it is not possible to) you will still not have met the Standard of God and hence not righteous.

If the keeping of the Law cannot make men righteous since it is lacking in the power to completely create "a new being" out of the Spirit of man, it then cannot be said to be the Standard of God.

God's Standard should NOT only be righteous in itself, it SHOULD MAKE MEN RIGHTEOUS!

And this is where Jesus comes in, not only is He righteous, He makes all who comes to God by Him righteous and pleasing to the Father, qualifying Him as the ONLY TRUE STANDARD of God.

It was by Him that Samson lived, by Him David met the Standard, it was through Him Abraham was justified. He was God's Standard for them. He is, and will continue to be, for ALL that will come to God by Him.

He is God's Standard and yes, He will never, and can never, ever change!

By believing in Jesus, you are living in God's Standard and can never be found short of it.

So the next time you hear about God having a standard, lift your hands and rejoice fully assured YOU Are In Him, Who Is The True Standard Of God, And He Is ETERNALLY Pleased With YOU

Glory to God!