In the days of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table whenever an enemy attacked, the king’s battle flags were raised to rally his troops. Battle lines were drawn on those battle flags or ‘standards,’ and the enemy was engaged in combat. Isaiah 59:19, in the King James Version of the Bible says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

What ‘standard’ is there for truth today? According to postmodernism ‘I’ am the standard. My experience becomes the standard by which truth is determined for me. But is that an adequate standard? What if my personal experience is limited and I need some truth which is outside of me because of that limitation? Is there someone else I can turn to for help? Perhaps I can turn to those around me with more experience; but how can I be sure that their experiences and slant on truth will be ‘right’ for me? Will their experience help me or harm me? After all, what agenda does the other person have for helping me? Do they have my best interests at heart or their own? Can I really trust them?

The Bible, on the other hand, presents Jesus as THE standard. The standard which can be trusted because He loves us! In Romans 5:8 the scripture says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus was willing to take our sins on Himself, even though He committed no sins, and die in our place. This was just like someone today going to death row and accepting another person’s sentence and being executed in their place. Jesus loved us that much! So, based on His actions, I think His help and experience can be trusted; because He loves us and has our best interests at heart.
 

Let’s examine a few more passages of scripture which can help us see what the ‘standard’ for truth should be today. In John 3:14-15 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”   Jesus was referring to His death on the cross when He said ‘the Son of Man must be lifted up;’ but I believe the broader implications of that include our lifting up Jesus before the world so people everywhere can come to know Him. In John 12:32-33 Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

You need to notice that Jesus did not say 'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so God must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in God may have eternal life.' Nor did Jesus say, '...when God is lifted up from the earth, God will draw all men to Himself.'

There are times when we think we can do things ourselves; that we don’t need Jesus’ help. Take a look at John 15:5 where Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We would like to think we are self sufficient and independent; that we can live our lives the way we want to, but Jesus says differently. We need Him!

Once again Jesus is referring to our remaining in HIM! We will bear much fruit if we remain in Jesus Christ. He did not say, 'If a man remains in God and God remains in him;' nor did He say, 'apart from God you can do nothing.'

By now you may think what's the big deal? Jesus IS God, so what difference does it make? In a postmodern culture it does make a difference; a huge difference! God can be anything a person wants to make him, or her, or it. Jesus is real and alive and objective. He cannot be made into something he was not and is not. An individual must either accept Him and what He taught or reject Him and His teachings.

Some people ask the question: “I believe in ‘God,’ isn’t that enough?” As surprising as it may sound, NO, that is not enough! In James 2:19 the Bible says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” We all know that the demons of hell are not saved. It isn’t enough to just believe in God. We must also believe in Jesus Christ and invite Him into our lives as our Savior and Lord. Making Jesus ‘Lord’ of our lives means yielding the power and control of our lives to Him.

In Matthew 17:5 when Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration with His disciples and they wanted to build little shrines to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, “a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" The Father could have just as easily said, “Listen to Me” but He did not. He said they were to listen to Jesus!

The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:9-11 said about Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Luke, writing in Acts 4:12, records the disciple’s response to the Pharisees’ prohibition to preaching in Jesus’ name: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Though we are entering what many call a postmodern age with all of its philosophical ideologies that attempt to place ourselves on the throne of life; the standard remains the same. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life.” If you truly want to know truth, you must get to know Jesus Christ. He has remained and still remains the standard throughout the many philosophical and ideological ages which have passed before and which are yet to come.