By What Standard?

Matthew 21:12–17 NKJV

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Matthew 21:23–27 NKJV

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Standards: A Rule of Measure

Standards are necessary.

Standards are established by authorities.

Standards of measurement determine quantity, weight, extend, value, or quality.

Quantity: One quart

Weight: One pound

Extent: One foot

Value: One dollar

Quality: 24 karat gold

Moral standards establish what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, and what is just or unjust.

Without standards, establishing what is right, good, fair, and just will be subjective, manipulated, changing, and unjust.

Our Generation and Standards

We are losing our honor and respect for authority.

We no longer accept the moral and social standards of the past.

We no longer accept the biological standards for race and gender.

We are becoming a lawless generation.

Lawless refers to being unrestrained by law and the standards they uphold.

Matthew 24:12 NKJV

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

We are determined to do what is right in our own eyes.

Judges 17:6 (NKJV) “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

By What Standard?

All standards originate from authority.

All authority originates with God.

Romans 13:1–2 NKJV

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

God alone has all inherent authority. Everyone else in legitimate authority is a steward of God’s delegated authority. As such, they will give account to God for their stewardship of authority.

God has ultimate authority to establish the standards.

God alone has the authority to determine what is true or false, right or wrong, just or unjust, good or evil, holy or unholy, legitimate or illegitimate, pure or impure, and clean or unclean.

God’s moral standards do not change with the culture.

Malachi 3:6 NKJV

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

Men change and their standards change. God does not change. Neither does His standard.

God’s people are not to follow the fallen moral standards of the world. Instead, they are to reject them to embrace the standards of God as revealed in His Word.

Deuteronomy 12:1–4 NKJV

“These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

“By What Standard?” or “By What Authority?”

Once we answer the question of “By what authority?”, then we can know the answer for “By what standard?”

God has set the standard by which we will all give account before Him.

God does not change His standards to conform to a more “progressive” or “enlightened” generation.

Those who reject God’s authority and standards to embrace an authority and standard of their own are called “fools”.

Romans 1:20–22 NKJV

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Don’t be a fool. Repent of your own wisdom, authority, and standard. Submit to the wisdom, authority, and standard of God.

The Standard of the Cross of Christ

God has raised a standard for salvation. It is the standard of the Cross of Christ.

John 3:14–16 NKJV

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Every other attempt to measure up to God’s righteous standard falls short and you will be proved a fool.

Submit to God’s standard of the Cross. Look upon Christ, repent, and believe so that you might be saved from God’s wrath toward sin and receive His free gift of eternal life.