An impossible standard?
Leon Kauffman, Condon Community Church
We live in a world that seems increasingly contentious. In today’s world, it would seem that enemies are everywhere to be had. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount makes it clear that for believer there is a high bar in the attitude toward those who might be enemies. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)
Jesus goes on to give a reason for this command saying in verse 45 “that you may be sons of the Father who is in heave; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.” It is important to recognize that this attitude will not make people “sons of the Father” but rather reflects the willingness to allow the Father’s attitude to show through them. Just as God does not show partiality in blessing both the good and evil, so the believer should be fair and gracious with all; not just withholding retaliation but taking a positive step of loving the enemy.
Jesus wraps up the passage with the following in verse 46, “Therefore you are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Simple, right? Jesus has indeed set out an impossible standard to meet not just in these verses but in the ones leading up to it. If a person were to live the ways Jesus has outlined in this chapter in addition to loving their enemy, they would among other things not hate or lust even in their mind, not make false oaths and not resist an evil person. In reality, Jesus was the only one to meet this standard.
Since none of us can meet this standard of being perfect and therefore righteous in God’s eye, I think the thought often is that surely given the great love God has for us, he will grade on a curve just as we may have had teacher in our past do; if we can be mostly good, that should be enough. Unfortunately, that is not the case, only perfection will do. Thankfully though, that is not the end of the story; God in His love for us, did provide a way for people to be seen as righteous – by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and letting him be the Lord of our life.
So, is the believer just to view this high standard that is laid out just to be there as a demonstration of our need of Jesus to be saved? No, this high standard still should be what the believer should strive to emulate with the help of the Holy Spirit.
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