Standards and Criteria II - the Right Fundament ...

Thursday, Aug 2, 2012. When we look for a homogeneous set of criteria which can be used to guide and sort our work and activities, it is a good idea to build on the right fundament and then go forward from there.

The right fundament …

What is the right fundament for my life, for my heart and my mind? What is the right fundament for my actions, for my decisions, for my feelings?

We need to talk about the gospels, about the story of Jesus and his message. His mission is linked to this fundament. His message is about this fundament. He wants us to build on a solid and good fundament. He wants us to live - a life based on truth.

The whole bible tells us about God's character, about his interaction with particular humans. God's character, his truth, his love, his justice, his mercy … all this together is the fundament which we should use as our fixed point. God's character is the the lasting cornerstone of history. Here, we find what we were looking for, the right fundament!

In Jesus, God's love and justice and mercy comes to us. In Jesus, we meet his truth, the way and the life. The gospel message talks about forgiveness, about his death which is the death of all what is separated from God. His resurrection, which is the life which lasts forever, in God's kingdom. When we talk about the right fundament for our actions, we need to talk about the gospel, about Jesus.

The Gospel as Standard …

In fact, the gospel of Jesus is the standard on which the world will be measured. It is no longer about single rules of justice. They are still important, still reflecting the character of the eternal Lord. Still none of them will be given away. But much more important is his mercy in Jesus, his justice in Jesus, his truth in Jesus. In him, all rules are satisfied. In him, justice is established. In him, we are free from the need to be measured against the holy character of God. Now, we are only measured against his mercy. Blessed are the merciful, since they will receive mercy.

We need to translate it down to our daily needs and demands. We need to pick up the gospel in our life, let it grow and become our leading stream of thought. To let this happen, we need to take it day by day and transform it into concrete actions, into concrete attitudes, into thoughts and feelings and decisions.

The gospel is not an abstract teaching. It is not just a system, which we would have to carry out by ourselves. Jesus gives the promise, that he will be there with his disciples until the end of the world. The holy spirit is promised as the helper and comforter. God is there, where ever we are and what ever we do. He is ready to help us grow in faith, grow in discipleship, grow in knowledge and truth and love and mercy. We are not talking about abstract standards, but about a living God, who wants to be with us day by day. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts