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Distinguishing Our Spiritual “Color”

Compared to women, some folks say that all men are at least a little colorblind. This may be true, because in the hazy light of early morning, it’s a struggle to distinguish my black socks from my navy blue socks. The only way I can tell them apart, is by holding them up against a black pair of pants in the sunlight.

By the same token, we often make the mistake of judging our spiritual “color” by looking at ourselves in isolation — comparing ourselves to our own standard of righteousness (Romans 10:3 NKJV). However, the only problem with doing that, is we more than likely will always meet our own standard. We know there was a time when such thinking was the norm, because Judges 17:6 NKJV and Judges 21:25 NKJV tell us that “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Does this mean everyone in Israel in those days was approved of God? Certainly not. But these folks weren’t looking to God’s law as their spiritual standard of measurement. Everyone did what seemed right to him — whether it was truly right or not.

Folks, that’s the trouble with a self-composed standard. It always looks right. Note the Proverb writer’s statement — “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV; Proverbs 16:25 NKJV). Or as Solomon put it in another proverb, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15 NKJV).

We can easily be self-deceived when we follow our own spiritual path without first making sure it is in line with God’s spiritual standard, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paul tells us, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3 NKJV).

We can make the same mistake in looking at other people, too. We sometimes say of our neighbors, “They’re not Christians, but they’re good moral people.” What we’re doing is comparing them with ourselves — if they look okay next to us, they must be okay before God. Brethren, that’s a fearfully dangerous perspective.

The inspired writer Paul again tells us, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12 – NKJV). Someone may be “good” in our subjective assessment, but our standard is not the defining measure — God’s word is (Matthew 7:21). As Paul says, we dare not get into the habit of comparing anyone against ourselves, any more than a carpenter measures his boards against pieces he has already cut, rather than by the measurement standard of a ruler.

The only safe way to distinguish our spiritual “color” is to measure ourselves against the light of the Scriptures (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5; James 1:23-25). Similarly, the only safe way to tell others whether they are heaven-bound is to open the Bible with them, and invite them to make that same comparison (Acts 17:11 NKJV). We don’t want to be guilty of sending anyone before God’s judgment wearing the wrong color garment (Matthew 22:11-14 NKJV; cf. Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; Colossians 3:12; Revelation 3:4; Revelation 16:15; Revelation 19:7-9).