Double Standard

       ‘Can you imagine?’ Rebecca said as she sat down dejectedly beside me. ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked. ‘My pastor is at it again’, she retorted. ‘Can you imagine he is accusing one of my team members in the Church of fornication? The punishment is to publicly humiliate her and suspend her from my team. Meanwhile his brother that allegedly committed the sin with her will be prayed for by the pastors secretly so as not to fall into the hands of manipulating sisters again’. As incredulous as this may sound, this terrible double standard in the Church is becoming more and more apparent. So many are quick to dish out judgments to people they perceive are wrong and their actions are below what they term as right or wrong. At the same time, they are quick to lower those same standards and even make excuses for themselves or their loved ones that fall short of these same standards. Thank God that He, the Almighty, is not like that. He shows no favoritism and expects each of His children to live up to the standards He has set: “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).

         It is true that when one has not gone through an experience, it may be difficult to teach it. I beg to differ though; that’s why we have the Holy Spirit to teach us and show us things we never knew before. Besides, He speaks to us before hand so that when we come across those harrowing situations we will know how to approach them. As children of God, we have the responsibility to present the teachings of God truthfully no matter whose ox is gored: "...Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace" (Zechariah 8:16b). When we begin to lower the standards of God, we do not only hurt the lives of the people listening or looking up to us, but we put our own souls in eternal danger as well. Apostle Paul in teaching this truth to Timothy warned him: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1Timothy 4:15-16). 

        No matter how tempting it may be to do, remember, just as the hardworking farmer is the first to partake of his harvest, so is “…that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Luke 12:47). Do you not know that you will be held accountable for your stewardship? Friend, we cannot do the will of God effectively if we use deceptive scales to dish out God’s word. God is so particular about this that He declared concerning Abraham, “For I have chosen him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what He promised” (Genesis 18:19). Friend, if you are in doubt as to why you were called, this is the reason! Jesus Christ never tempered down His word because of His listeners, rather, He spoke the TRUTH to all men according to the levels they were in without subtracting from the truth. Friend, do you circumvent the truth of God’s word to ‘accommodate’ your family and friends? You do them no good but rather make them very ready candidates for hell. May the Lord empower and strengthen your faith to walk in truth at all times in Jesus Christ name. God bless you.