At one time the gold standard was used by governments to back up their currencies and control their economies. There were various ways of applying this standard, but it reached its height when paper money was backed up 100% with gold held by the government. All of this began in the ancient past when it was recognized that gold was virtually incorruptible and, because of its beauty and scarcity, the most valuable commodity that could be found.
Although the concept of the gold standard began when governments tried to find ways of making their money desirable so that trade could develop, it has in recent times been applied to other areas where an absolute standard is called for. Such standards are very important to us in the medical field, for instance, where your life can depend on a test which will absolutely rule out the presence of a disease, or indicate with certainty that you have it—a gold standard test. Modern usage of the term “gold standard” applies it to tests used in many areas such as those where computer products are evaluated. In another example, a recent report says that a major automaker will install satellite radio receivers in all its vehicles next year, thus setting a “gold standard” for other manufacturers. The term “gold standard” is now generally being applied to something recognized as the best available in its class—something that sets a high and challenging standard for others to match.
What is the “gold standard” for Christians? What is that ultimate quality which challenges us? There may, in fact, be many areas of our lives which involve absolute standards to which we should aspire. Consider this, however: Jesus sets the highest standard for us when He says, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). THAT is the “gold standard” for Christians. Whether you understand “perfect” in this context to mean “without fault” or “blameless,” or whether you consider it to mean “complete” or “mature,” the challenge is that you are to achieve a quality which is comparable to that of “your heavenly Father!”
It is helpful to look at the context of Jesus’ statement. Our Lord, in this section of His sermon on the mount—Matthew 5:43-38, is talking of challenging the approach of the Rabbis which was to “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” by replacing it with an attitude of love for all people. He reminds us that God the Father “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” and then confronts our habit of only loving those who love us (Matthew 5:45, 46). Looked at this way, we need to love everybody and not just those of our kind, whether we look at that socially, economically, or any other way. THAT is the “gold standard” for Christians to use in every circumstance.
When you embrace this standard for your life, it will immediately make a startling difference to the way you look at, and interact with, every other person. You will empathize with, have compassion for, and come to the aid of others, because you are unconditionally seeking their best interests which is the meaning of “love” in this passage. Let’s all make it our life’s work to live up to the “gold standard!”
Mel