There Is No Double Standard

“You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.” – John 8:15

Every family is full of flawed people. And flawed people can easily get on our last nerve. God has to tolerate imperfect people, because after all, He is God. But why should I? People can be reconciled to God in spite of their sin. So true. The gospel is that, we are accountable to God, our problem is our sin against him, God’s solution is salvation through Jesus Christ, and you and I can be included in that salvation by faith and repentance. But, you can’t be reconciled to me because of your sin or what you have done to cause the conflict with me. In other words, my standards are higher than God’s standards. God will accept you in spite of what you’ve done, but I won’t accept you because of what you’ve done to me.    

God’s standard is different from ours, and His standard is perfection. The Bible says, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. (James 2:10). God is holy and He is just, and we are not.

Francis Chan, in his book Crazy love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God said: “God is the only being who is good, and the standards are set by Him. Because God hates sin, He has to punish those guilty of sin. Maybe that’s not an appealing standard. But to put it bluntly, when you get your own universe, you can make your own standards.”

Romans 3:10-17 has this to say: ““No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” Their tongues are filled with lies.” …“ Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace.”

Romans 3:23 tells us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” So when family conflict occurs there is one standard. We should not allow our standards for holiness and discipleship to be defined by others or even ourselves. 

God’s standards are high and will require some real effort to move toward them. They include the uncomfortable requirements of obedience, humility and love of one’s neighbor. God’s standards can’t be met on our own – it’s impossible. But in order to meet God’s standard, we must seek the power of the Holy Spirit.   

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you understand God’s standards for life? 
2. Is it possible to live up to God’s standards?
3. Have God’s standards changed over time?
4. Pray and ask God to help you live by His standards this week.