You judge by human standards …
Summary: How we define “good” and “evil,” says a lot about our relationship with God. Using God’s definitions is a way of honoring our Creator.
There is a lot of confusion in the minds of people when it comes to the Bible. That bothers me.
We toss words around like “sin” and “evil” without really understanding what they mean. (If “we” do understand these words, then I have been left out of the conversation my entire life.) I have come to this conclusion by observing the way we use these words.
For example, one of the complaints I hear about the God of the Old Testament is that some people feel it was wrong for God to have the Israelites kill the native tribes of Canaan. In essence, they are saying what God did was “evil.” Some might even say it was a “sin.”
Hmmm…
Is God evil, or is God the definition of good?
Jesus’ response to this question is blunt. In one of his many arguments with the Pharisees, Jesus says, “You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one.” (John 8:15)
What are “human standards?”
When it comes to humans judging God, we have about as much standing as an amoeba presuming to pass judgment on you or me. The amoeba’s world is tiny by comparison. The amoeba can’t understand our thoughts or reasoning. The amoeba doesn’t understand right or wrong. The amoeba’s judgment of us is pointless.
The same thing holds true for our attempts to judge God.
When God looks at us he sees us as eternal spiritual embryos in need of spiritual rebirth (John 3:6). Killing the flesh is not a sin for God. He is the one who gave us our flesh. It is his right to take it away again. Especially if we are misusing it!
When it comes to “sin” we read that “sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). If sin is breaking the law, whose law are we talking about? In this case, it is God’s law. And what is God’s law? Jesus tells us it is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22: 37-40).
Any time we put our self-interest above God’s will or the needs of our “neighbor,” we are doing what God considers to be “evil.”
Well, yes, but some people are more evil than others, right?
Maybe. You can ask God when you see him next time. However, consider this: God doesn’t judge by human standards. Remember the people that God told the Israelites to chase out of Canaan? They were bad people by God’s standards, but by human standards, we would probably consider them “Okay.”
Yet, whatever standard God uses to measure sin does have graduations. The sins of the native Canaanites were bad but they weren’t bad enough to deserve being wiped out until they had reached “full measure” (Genesis 15:16).
Understanding God’s will requires that we accept that God is God. He makes the rules and his standard of “right” and “wrong” is the one that counts. If we insist on using our own amoeba-like perspective to decide what is right and wrong, we are going to be disappointed when the Judge of All Things renders his verdict.
Application: Submit not only to God’s will but to his judgment, too.
Food for Thought: Why do we want to reduce “sin” to a list of “do’s and don’t’s” rather than admitting we are not able to love God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves?
A list is easier to deal with – the Pharisees even added their lists to the laws found in Scripture. It is, as you alluded to, our way of controlling the dialogue on sin and to work with our own definitions. The Pharisees liked to add their rules to God’s law to help Him out. I am not sure we are any different. It is easier to check a box than to love a difficult neighbor.
Brother Rich,
“ It is easier to check a box than to love a difficult neighbor.”
You said a mouthful!
12-09-2022, Why do we want to reduce “sin” to a list of “do’s and don’t’s” rather than admitting we are not able to love God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves?
Adam and Eve were created as perfect beings, placed into Paradise with full access to God their creator. They only ONE DON’T. They were not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They didn’t make it.
God gave Moses a list of 10 commandments. The first 4 were do’s and don’t’s toward God, the last 6 were do’s and don’t’s toward other people. They couldn’t live with in them.
From the 10 Commandments, the Pharisees devised a system of 613 regulations, 365 were negative commands, and 248 were positive laws. Christ walked among men, and clearly told them these had developed into a type of righteousness that was callous, icy, and full of arrogance.
Men in their wisdom are really good at ” Work Arounds “ and always find a way to justify any do or don’t that violates do’s and don’t’s whether they are written by God or men.
Knowing our problem, Jesus broke all sin and righteousness down into two commands.
Love God first, love our neighbors as ourselves, and if we do these, we are obeying God who also gave all believers the power to do these, Jesus Christ in us. Does our every actions fall within our loving God, and loving our neighbor? Simple, if they do, we live in obedience to God, If any do not, we live within our own will.
Man has proven he does not want to submit to God or elevate our neighbor to equal or above ourselves, and we do not like obeying lists. It is the power of our flesh. Jesus knows this, and is our answer to our problem. SHARE HIS LOVE FOR GOD AND ALL MANKIND, share and live according to God’s will, use His life to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Ron,
OUTSTANDING overview of our history with “do’s and don’t’s.”
Thank you! Well done! 🙂
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