The Measure of All Things

II Corinthians 10:12–18

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you. We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

Is being a Christian something to be proud of? In many ways yes. Probably proud in the sense of delight in one’s own situation, hopefully irrespective of comparing it with the situation of others, lest our thoughts become that of the self-righteous Pharisee: “9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:10–14). However, in many ways also, being a Christian is unenviable, it is one of the most persecuted religion globally speaking and culturally one of the most disdained. I guess ‘boasting’ in the Gospel is another category for we’re distancing ourselves in what we are pleased about, that is we are delighted in having a relationship with God Almighty, the Creator and Designer of the Universe, the locus of infinite worth, the foundation of all goodness. Humility after all as they say is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. One commenter on social media on the question of the uniqueness of Christianity or what sets it apart from other religions, said, “an unfounded sense of superiority”. Hardly, the superiority is with the message or the worldview itself not with the person who holds it as if she is above all other fellow humans. Nay, she only holds to a superior belief system in terms of what best reflects reality. “Man”, the adage of the Renaissance says, “is the measure of all things”, this is secular humanism at its most prideful and from those heels are built upon the foundations of modern secular thought in which everything else is measured against ourselves and commend ourselves, “this is not wise” (v. 12), for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the LORD commends” (v. 18), As Jesus was starting out on His way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “There is none truly good but God” (Mark 10:17–18) indeed, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), how can any one of us be “the measure of all things”? God is the measure of all things and all worldviews are adjudicated by how close these reflect the reality of God’s creation, meaning, morality, and destiny, the main questions any set of ideas about ultimate reality must answer. God thank You that You have saved us and kept us close, reach out to others as well that they may experience delight in a loving relationship with You forevermore. In Jesus Name, Amen!