“Minimum Standards”
Is there some minimum standard of humane living – below which we are choosing to live like an animals?
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Beautiful Creation in Pink
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STANDARDS:
“Hey, could you stop killing each other? Oh, , yeah, by the way, could you not steal each others stuff? And it would be really helpful if you wouldn’t lie to each other, either. And, here’s a thought, cold you not take other people’s husbands and wives and sort of , like , keep to your own?” (from “an unSTOPPABLE force” - original source => The Bible)
Are these minimum standards, or the ‘ideal’, which we hope that someday we might be able to achieve?
Could we (should we) be expected to live up to some “minimum standards”, or is this unreasonable?
Imagine, for a minute, what life might be like in your neighborhood/city/workplace if everyone just lived according to those ” minimum standards” listed above!
Should we change our actions, or change our ’standards – “lower the bar”?
Whether it is a minimum or Ideal? The Bible implies that it is the “Ideal” as God proposes it.
I don’t agree with you on this. I believe that these are minimum standards. The ‘ideal’ should be much ‘higher’.
The 10 commandments are the “minimum standards” God gave man because of the evil He saw in the world. They exist just to keep us from killing each other. God knew that we, on our own, could not even keep the minimum of stnadards. The Law is there to show us how far we fall short of God. The Law doesn’t make us righteous, it shows how far from the holiness of God we actually are. It proves to us we are in need of a savior.
I believe that we were given the ‘commandments’ because of God’s love for us. For example:
“I have given you this wonderful woman to be your wife, to share every aspect of your life; to play, have fun, and laugh together; to join in your sorrow and comfort you; to love and encourage you; to bless and serve you; to be the mother of you beautiful children and join with you in raising them; etc. Therefore, don’t betray your wife throw away all that I have given you by taking another man’s wife.”
I would always propose that you are always reserved to your own opinion and I have nothing against that. It just so happened that you posted an “open” question, so I just therefore extended to you an open answer. Maybe, the answer to your question depends on our individual standards. As unique as we all are from one another, so as our individual standards. It just so happen that the 10 commandments of God which was summarized into 2 by the Lord Jesus Christ: Love God and Love your neighbor as you love yourself is the ideal standards for me. The Bible says, God bears in mind that we are dust, He would therefore not set a standard that is meant for a mountain.
The standards you specified are embodied in the commandments of God, it is therefore the “ideal” standard not the minimum. Because the minimum standard as the Bible imply is this.. Have faith in God and those whom He sends, the “minimum” standard that a murderer like Moses. an adulterer like David or a criminal like Dimas has attained.
To simplify this matter, let me impart to you how I define the “ideal” and “minimum” standard. The “ideal standard” is salvation of God in the act obedience (Faith and Good Works)….while the “minimum standard” is salvation of God is the act of disobedience, the minimum requirement being plainly “Faith”.
So when you say, “Hey stop killing one another…” (as you mentioned you are actually setting up the “ideal standard” set by God. But when you say, “Have faith in God and repent and all your murders, theft and covetousness shall be forgiven.” that is the “minimum standard.”
Good word….making me think.