THE STANDARD OR AUTHORITY
By Timothy Glover
We know the value of standards. We appeal to a dictionary as the standard of authority in debates or politics. A precise time is set as our standard. We can argue all we like about which watch has the correct time, but until we call upon the standard of time, we do not know which is correct. Similarly, the U.S. government prescribes the amount of a quart. We all recognize what confusion would exist if we did not have an authority to fix a standard by which we live every day. How could we possibly go the store if there was not some agreement on the standards of weight and measurement? Imagine the chaos as people would be arguing about the price of all the produce. Picture a woman balancing a cantaloupe in her hand and concluding that it ways 1 pound. The clerk thinks it’s closer to 2 pounds. They could argue all day long until they put the cantaloupe on the scale.
When it comes to applying a standard in religion, why is it that people basically do whatever they want to do since they are sincere in it, and think it’s right? Why do people do what they like and call it acceptable worship? Why is it that we think it’s alright for a person to do what is right in their own eyes in religion? We don’t let everyone decide for themselves the length of a yard, or a mile or prescribe his own standard of volume. Imagine someone showing up 4 hours late for an appointment and arguing, “Well, I think I’m right on time”. I wonder if the Highway Patrol would accept the claim that you are going 65 mph when you were really going 85 mph? Perhaps you could say that you did not know you were going that fast and were sincerely of the opinion that no law was broken. Is the officer going to be understanding and let you go? Yet, the way we apply the religious standard, consistency would expect us to have no respect for any law because everything is right if it suits us.
Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” (Mat. 28:18). In Matthew 16:13-18, Jesus asked, “Whom do men say that I am?” They answered him, “Some say you are John, the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah, or one of the prophets.” When he asked who they thought he was, Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus told him that God had revealed that to him. There is a line of distinction between what men say and what God says. That line is also the line of distinction between truth and error. We can be guilty of binding human traditions when God has not bound it or we may loose where God has bound if we fail to use God’s standard. We may argue about religion all day but until we approach the one who fixes the standard, we will never know which way is right. So, lets apply the standard of God’s objective Word of truth before acting.
Return Home
| The Church | The Kingdom | Belongs to: | Restoration
| Standard
| Local
| Members of
| Unity of
| Authority
| First Day
| Lord's Day
| Stephen
| |