The True Standard
Today we live in an uncertain age, when all standards seem to be changing. But the true standard, the standard of Christ, can never change. Whatever was right under Christ at any one age is right now and will always be right; whatever was wrong under Christ at any age is wrong now, and will always be wrong. Many people of this generation seem determined to persist in a course of life which causes them to want to deride and make light of that which is right. In innumerable magazines, papers, and books coming from the presses now we are being told that the standards have changed, or should change, that the old, outmoded standards of our fathers are no longer adequate or acceptable for this modern age.
When we ask "Why?" the reply is, "Oh, we're modern; we refuse to be shackled with the stuffy ideas of the past." There in three words, "modern", "shackled", and "stuffy", we have the reason for delinquency, both juvenile and adult; we have the reason for much of the emotional instability of our day; we have the background for much of the murder, suicide, robbery, rape, etc., with which our modern newspapers defile their pages.
Modern
Just what does it mean to be "modern"? Does it mean to be godless? That seems to be the idea many have. If so, then no wonder there are so many things in the world today that are ugly, so many problems that can't be solved. For without God, man has no source of strength when he reaches the end of his own powers; he has nowhere left to turn. The only course open to him is to destroy either himself or that which he cannot overcome or understand. That is why the world is full of Hitlers, Stalins, Francos, murderers, criminals of greater and lesser sorts. No, it is not "modern" to be godless, for "it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps". (Jer. 10:23) It is not smart for us to try to bear our burdens alone, for Christ has offered to share them with us. "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)
People who flaunt morals, and will not live according to rules, regard all restrictions as "shackles". They speak with contempt of those who are bound by conventions, and call themselves broad-minded. But let us ask them, is it broad-minded to go about seeking one's own pleasure regardless of the harm to others? Is it noble to leave behind one a miserable trail of ruined lives, broken hearts, shame, and misery?
The rules of God are not shackles; they were given to promote human happiness here and hereafter. His rules are not old-fashioned, for they are both as old and as young as the human family. They were based on human nature, and suited to human needs. Now, as always, the greatest short thesis on human relationships is the immortal dictum of the Savior, "All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them." (Matt. 7:12) Chief Justice John Jay, when called upon to define the word "liberty" in the constitution, said, "Liberty means that man is free to do as he pleases so long as he does not interfere with the personal happiness of others." To make that complete, we would add to it that he shall also walk in all the ways of the Lord.
This word is applied to any rule or convention that the so-called moderns want to do away with. Most generally it is applied to some specific prohibition of the word of God. It seems that many people think that to describe a thing as "stuffy" automatically nullifies that rule or law or decree. What it actually does, however, is simply to mark the one using the word, and to reveal him as a man who is unwilling to conform himself to the standard. That means there is something wrong with the man, not with the standard.
Actually, all that is called "modern" today in the field of morals and religion (the laxity of morals, the indifference to God's plan of salvation, etc.) isn't modern at all In the course of human history there have always been immoral people; these waves of immorality and infidelity have come and gone time after time, like the tides of the ocean. But after each, new onslaught, the waves subside, and the rock-lined shore stands as it has always. It is neither moved nor shaken by the rising tides. God's word, like the mighty rocks of the shore, stands firm and unmoving. It is "from everlasting to everlasting."
In the words of Jeremiah, let us invite you to "Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the god way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." (Jer. 6:16) James said, "he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing." (Jas. 1:25) And it was Paul who told Timothy to "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth." (II Tim. 2:15)
If you will do that, and not be afraid to live by what you learn, you will have happiness in this life and the hope of eternal happiness in the life to come. If in your study of the Book you find that morally or religiously you are doing something God has forbidden, then stop it. Or, if you find you are not doing something that God has commanded, then start it. There is no stigma at all attached to the man who makes a change in his religious life or practice, provided he changes from error to truth, from what is wrong to what is right. In common everyday life that is exactly what we do. It is only common sense to make a change when we find we've been mistaken. A man would be a fool to continue in a course that he knew was wrong just simply because he thought he would "lose face" by changing. We all have too much intelligence to let any such trivial thing in ordinary life hold us back from making a correction in our activities.
Why should we not show the same intelligence in the things of God? Paul did. He lived "in all good conscience" in a certain way or manner of life for many years, But as quickly as he found out that he had been wrong, he changed. And toward the end of his life he declared that there was a "crown of life" laid up in heaven for him which the Lord, the righteous judge, would give to him in "that day". Such a crown is available for every honest and earnest soul that turns from error to truth, from the ways of men to the ways of God, from the false standards of earth to the true standard of God's eternal word.