The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

A Higher Standard, A Richer Grace

As we grow in our spiritual lives, the high calling and exacting standards of God become increasingly clearer. Some of the most challenging mountains to climb do not look very imposing from a distance. It’s only when you begin climbing the mountain itself that you sense the difficulty of the ascent. Likewise, the difficulty of God’s call to holiness only becomes clear as we embark on the ascent of faithfulness.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented a vision of a new level of obedience to God. God judges not simply murder but anger, not simply adultery but lust, not simply religious ritual but heart motivation. Jesus taught that God’s standards rise far above the mere letter of the law. Human effort alone can never satisfy them (see Romans 3:23). These facts should drive us into the arms of grace, however, not into the depths of despair.

In Matthew 5:48, the Greek word translated as “perfect” is teleios. Indeed, teleios means “complete in labor, growth, mental and moral character; the goal, the final purpose toward which we are moving.” This fits with Jesus’ elevation of the law to an unattainable plane. Yet the word also carries with it the sense of being complete and mature. For example, a blossoming tree can be “perfect,” even though there is no fruit, because it is at the appropriate stage for fruit to be produced in time. Likewise, we can be teleios, mature, even when we are green in the practices of spiritual living. What matters to God is our journey, not just the arrival at the goal. God’s concern is not that we’ve arrived but that we continue to travel in the right direction, for his grace both empowers our obedience and forgives our sin.

Putting It into Practice

Our spiritual lives are energized when we remind ourselves of the two facets of faith in Christ: a higher standard for our behavior and a richer mercy for our sin. Neglecting either can lead to spiritual weakness and discouragement. Some become careless through forgetting this higher standard. Others are oppressed by their failure to meet this standard on their own, losing sight of God’s forgiveness through Christ.

Which facet of faith are you most comfortable with? What do you need to learn from the other? Cultivating a balanced view of both a higher standard and a richer mercy will prepare our hearts for further spiritual growth.

Taken from NIV Spiritual Renewal Bible