Tuesday, April 10, 2018

DOUBLE STANDARDS!

A double standard is, "A rule or principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups."[1] You would expect to see double standards in the world (that is, those outside of the Christian faith); but you do not expect it among God’s people.

Allow me to be specific (I am not referring to one single instance; but just an observation from being in the Christian faith for 45 years); I believe that there is a “double standard” when it comes to “submission to authority.” As I young person growing up in the Church; we were drilled with the thought of “obeying leadership.” The following Scripture was a standard:

Hebrews 13:17. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that
is unprofitable for you.

If this Scripture did not put the fear of God in you; then you were hit with another Scripture if you failed to obey those that have the rule over you:

Psalm 105:15. Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Furthermore, to be “disobedient” or “rebellious” would inflict the following verses and curses:

1 Samuel 15:23. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Isaiah 1:19-20 19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

I guess the thing that has bothered me is the double standard when it comes to submission to authority. My observation is that obedience has been required as long as the one enforcing it is the one in charge. But, how can you enforce people to obey you; when you are disobedient to those who have the rule over you? It’s a double standard.

I believe that if you want the respect of people listening to you; then you need to exemplify that same attitude and now just when you are the person in charge. The hypocrisy is almost nauseating. It was grievous for me to see the same people that would reprimand you openly for disobeying leadership; turn around and have a flippant attitude toward those who had the rule over them. I guess in cases like this; we have to do like Jesus taught and do what the hypocrites say, but don’t follow what they do:

Matthew 23:3.[2] So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.

I realize that the Message Bible is a paraphrase and not a translation. In other words it is not a word for word transmittance of each word; but seeks to convey the thought. With that in mind, here is how Jesus would have addressed these hypocrites that expect everyone to bow down and obey them; but they won’t give that same respect to their leaders:

Matthew 7:4-5.[3] 1-5 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
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