We can’t just make up standards without God’s help because we could never agree. If we are going to comprehend right and wrong, we must understand that righteous requires a standard.
We call it “the eye test.” As you hang a decoration on your wall, you step back to ensure you positioned it balanced. You squint your eyes and turn your head as you try to find the confidence for your placement.
While gazing upon it tells you a great deal, your eyes can’t be trusted perfectly. That’s why it is helpful to use a level. Those rectangular tools contain liquid vials that help determine whether the level is plumb. If the bubble is centered within the glass, you can trust that your decoration is positioned well. If you are off-center, the level indicates that it’s off by some degree and needs to be adjusted.
Without a clear standard, our world is left to argue about our opinions of what is level and what is crooked. My perspective wants to tilt the object of my focus to the right, but you might think it needs to be tipped to the left. How do we determine what is right in a culture with a million viewpoints in changing times?
We need an objective standard that is far more reliable than us.
Since Adam and Eve took the fruit that belonged to God (Genesis 3:5), humanity has attempted to redefine what is right, but only God can declare the standard.
The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.
Romans 3:19
Righteousness is the standard that God defines and epitomizes. He does not bend to a standard that is higher than Himself – He is the standard. Within the character and nature of Yahweh, we discover the righteousness that we cannot attain, yet He is willing to provide. To understand who He is, we must comprehend the ethical framework that His character establishes.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
