HUMAN STANDARDS

2 Corinthians 5:16 (New Living Translation)

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!”

When I was Arbitrator of labor disputes,  one major conflict between management, on the one hand, and employees, on the other hand ,involves performance evaluation of an employee, as it relates to the management prerogative  of promotion, demotion, termination, transfer or reassignment of an employee.  

The company standards would be the basis of evaluation.  Much objectivity in judging  employee performance would be ideal, but the reality is, personal bias and subjectivity likely go into the process .

The  Christian  way, implicit in the message of St. Paul, has a different way of looking at others.  The world’s standards usually judge from the human point of view, based on outward appearances. One’s status  in life, wealth, reputation, education,  family background, are persuasive in making value judgments.

The good Apostle, however,  said those who receive new life in Christ have a new way of judging or evaluating others. They cease to judge by  human standards. In Christ they are renewed and changed in their manner and way of thinking. They have become” Reconcilers”.  Just  as Christ reconciled them to Himself,   they no longer judge people to condemn them, but to be reconciled to Christ.