An Exploration of Excellence

Here is my question: if we lower our standard so that everyone can be "excellent," will excellence remain excellent?

So here's the thing about standards. They are incredibly important; few will deny that. But they are also among the most malleable concepts we, as human beings, acknowledge. Standards waver individual to individual, family to family, establishments, countries, eras--all have varying standards. These differing standards are based upon differing sources. Some may stand upon tradition, some upon religion, others upon opinion, and still others upon experience. The list continues. In education, athletics, and anything statistical, we speak of averages. Averages, too, are definitionally something of a standard. So where is the source of an average? The answer is quite simple: look around you. Every single person who has ever lived on the planet constitutes a part of some or another average. This simply means that the standard of an average is based upon people. People who are not perfect.

How do we know we're not perfect? Well, there is indeed another standard that reveals man's imperfection. That standard is called the Law of God and it can be conveniently found in the Bible. The law does not make man righteous. It was put in place to reveal man's sin and teach him how to live. Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Some may react to this by flopping down and insisting that it's all hopeless, so why try? The answer is, of course, that it is not hopeless. We can do ALL things through Christ (Philippians 4:8) and we ought ALWAYS to strive for God's glory (1 Cor. 10:31). The Law, though impossible for imperfect man to fulfill, is God's command. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commands (John 14:15). That love of God, ultimately, is our motivation.

So here's the crux of the matter. Man's standard of "average" is flexible and one era's "excellence" is another era's "subpar." But God's standard remains the same. Excellence, in man's eyes, cannot be "excellent" because that definition is constantly shifting. But we can be assured that excellence will always be excellent under God's unchanging, definitive standard.

If you're interested in finding out more about the Law, Biblegateway has a wonderful commentary on Galatians 3 which can be found here: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Gal/Understanding-Law

What does excellence mean to you? How often do your standards shift? How do your standards measure up to God's?

Best wishes,

Nicole