I don't look at Father God or Jesus as "my standard" anymore.
Recently, I was sharing with some friends my beliefs about what life in Christ and being His body is all about. I made the statement, "We do not give our lives to a standard or a list of rules. We give our lives to a living God."
What one of my friends heard me say was, "I don't live by a standard." When I corrected him saying, "No, I said, 'I don't give my life to a standard," he held up his Bible and passionately said, "Well, I do." I know what he's saying, and I know he is sincere in his desire to live according to the Word of God. I wish everyone did. However, there is a difference in the way he and I view God and scripture that, in my mind, affects everything.
Let me clarify what I mean when I say I don't give my life to a standard. I believe God is absolute truth and in Him is found life. I don't see him as a standard but as three persons, a Holy Trinity. I also believe the bible, when translated and interpreted correctly and perfectly is an accurate reflection of God and absolute truth. I believe the bible leads us to know, experience, and commune with God who gives us life. It is full of examples, not exceptions of people who walked with God. And I believe every word of it points to Christ, the word (logos) made flesh.
If I look at the bible as a standard or list of rules, rather than the 'logos' word of God that leads me to Him and through which He speaks to me, then my focus is going to be on a) the standard, and b) how I am measuring up to that standard (focus on me). That will work against the whole point of the bible as I see it, which is to lift our eyes to God. It will also affect how I treat other people.
If I give my life to a standard rather than to a living God, and believe with all my heart that it is the "right way" to live, then I will hold everyone else in my life up to that standard. My relationships will be affected by whether or not the people with whom I am interacting are living up to that standard. Michelle and the boys will live with the question, "Am I good enough? Am I doing everything that I should?" And the answer that I will give them will always, always, always be 'No.' That's because I'm looking at a standard no one on earth can live up to, rather than lifting my eyes and the eyes of those around me to the only one who met the standard, God's perfect holiness and righteousness. He is Jesus our Lord, our Saviour, our redeemer, our substitute and representative. It's all about him. I give my life to a person and my desire is to lead people into the life of God and fellowship with the Trinity made possible through Christ.
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