Standards

Having Christ as the center of our lives, Christians have a great deal to live up to. Most of us fail along the way and are grateful for God’s forgiveness.

Some have set standards that are high, perhaps good to live by, but are personal, not biblical. Rather than list any examples, think of standards within your church and match them to applicable Bible verses.

A man described as one after God’s own heart gives an example: While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. (Psalms 146:2 KJV)

We hold meetings, following another example: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

We pray, following Christ’s example: And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2 KJV)

We love, as God loves us: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35 KJV)

There are others, the Bible is full of them. However, some standards within churches, congregations and people are personal, not biblical and it has been this way since the first couple:

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:15-17 KJV)

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Genesis 3:1-3 KJV)

God did not tell Adam neither shall ye touch it. Whether or not Adam told Eve is not recorded. The point was clear. If you don’t touch it, you won’t eat it, so not touching is good. But adding that admonition did not help temptations therefore had no value.

We may add standards that should help us in temptations, but may also help us ignore the original command.

As Christians we have an obligation to speak of God’s commands as given in His word. We have no obligation – nor right – to impose personal standards upon those who accept His commands.

How do our Christian standards measure up biblically?

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (Acts 15:10 KJV)