God's Standard

Isaiah 59:2 - "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (NIV).

Matthew 5:48 - "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (NIV).

Romans 3:10-12 - "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one'" (NIV).

Romans 3:23 - "… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NIV).

Romans 7:12 - "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good" (NIV).

James 2:10 - "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (NIV).

Suppose you wanted to make an omelet for your friend. You pull out four eggs from the refrigerator. After cracking them open into the bowl, you realise that one of the eggs is spoiled. Would you continue to stir the eggs together and create your omelet? After all, you still have three good eggs. Doesn't the good outweigh the bad? Of course not. You have to throw it all out and start over. God's standard is perfection. It comes out of who He is. Even if we have sinned once, that spoils our entire life. Many people figure they are doing good enough if the good outweighs the bad in their lives. At least they believe this will be their ticket into heaven. "Try to be a good person, and don't do anything too wicked" is the motto that most people live by. But, because God is holy - perfect in His character and in all His ways - He cannot be aligned in any way with sin. God does not accept "mostly good" as the right measuring stick.  For "all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6 NIV). When we miss the mark of perfection, we cannot be accepted into God's presence.

God's law or standard of perfection is a description of reality. It is not an arbitrary line in the sand drawn by God. He is not cruel or whimsical in His making of this perfect standard. When we step outside of His standard or boundary, we get hurt. God's desire is that we stay safe within his perfect boundaries. So, the commands that He gives us are His expressions of love for us. God desires that we learn to love His law, His boundaries (Psa. 19:7-11; 119:1-16).

Do you understand, then, that God hates sin (Prov. 6:16-19)? He hates it, because sin separate us from Him (Isa. 59:2). Sin blinds us to the truth (1 John 2:11). It enslaves us (Rom. 6:6) and eventually will destroy us (Rom. 6:23). This is why God hates sin. It ends up destroying His beloved creation.

For More Study
  • Isaiah 6:1-8
  • Isaiah 59
  • Romans 3:1-20
  • Galatians 3:10-14
  • Galatians 6:7-10

Thoughts and Questions for Application
  1. Read Isaiah 6:1-8 and Rev. 4:8-11. Are you attracted to God's holiness? Does it make you afraid?
  2. Does God's standard of perfection seem too overbearing for you? Do you realize that His standard is just a description of reality? When we step outside His boundary, we will experience the painful consequence of this.
  3. Have you ever thought you could be "good enough" for God… that you could earn His approval? Read Rom. 3:10-12 again.

​Memorization

Matthew 5:48 - "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (NIV).