Romans 3:23-24 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Having standards is important in life. While many don’t like tests or like to be held to a certain standard, it is necessary for us to have them. If you are learning something in school, there is a standard level of understanding you need to have in your subjects in order to pass each class and graduate. If you want to advance in your career you need to know what the standard is for you to reach in order to be worthy of a promotion. Without knowing what is expected of you, there would be no reason to grow, mature or change in any meaningful way.
What causes us to not like standards is that they reveal to us where we are lacking in certain areas. No one likes to hear about their weaknesses or where they’ve failed, or what they don’t understand. Everyone wants to be told that they are fine just the way they are and if they can’t reach the expected standard, everything is fine and they aren’t the problem, the standard is.
And yet, regardless of how we feel about having standards to measure ourselves up against, we can’t escape them. God himself has given a standard to which we are all called to live under and conform our lives to. Namely, his holiness and perfection, which we see displayed in his glory. Think of the visual images we have in God’s word of how God has revealed himself. Pillars of fire and smoke. Terrifying and awe inspiring clouds on Mount Sanai. These are manifestations of God’s holiness and perfection, and this is what we call God’s glory, which none of us can live up to.
He is the standard, and we know the standard because he has revealed himself to us. We can choose to scoff at this standard and walk away in our pride, or we can bow before this glorious God in awe and humility. In our pride, we can try to measure up to God’s glory by doing things that we think look glorious, but next to God, are actually filthy rags. No matter what we offer up to God in our own efforts, sin has tainted it. We cannot measure up to God on our own.
He has to do the work, and he has. Being justified, or made right with God, is only possible through the perfect, holy, glorious gift of God in the person of Jesus Christ. What we bring to the table is sin and failure to live up to the standard. What God brings to the table is the gift of justification and redemption, but it isn’t wrapped up in a box for us to unwrap. The gift is Jesus himself, offering himself up for us so that we can have a seat at the table at all.
When we don’t measure up to the standards set before us, we recognize how weak we are. This is especially true when held against the standard of the glory of God. But take heart, Christian. Your weakness becomes strength through the strength of Christ. He met the standard, and all you need do is believe he did and follow his lead and God sees Jesus’ strength and perfection in your place. Find your strength in the fact that if you have accepted the gift of Christ, you are seated at the table of redemption and justification today, and you will be seated there with God from here to eternity.
