Day 35: Prime Standard Alignment – Huh? (Acts 15:12-35)
Today’s Passage: Acts 15:12-35
Prime Standards, we are surrounded by them everywhere.
Ever notice when you pump a gallon of gas that the gas pump has a sticker on it from the state or county? The sticker says that someone, other than the gas station owner, pumped a gallon of gas and it in fact was a gallon!
Imagine if when the pump said “1 gallon pumped”, it really was only 0.9 gallons. Over time that would add up, and the person rigging the gasoline pump would have cheated many people.
To place that sticker on the pump, the person needs to compare the gas coming out of the pump to some reference, some standard. That is often called a Prime Standard.
Today, once again, we see the Prime Standard the Apostles use to order their lives, and that of the church.
In the scene today, Paul and Barnabas give their testimony. It is not repeated for us. We know it well as we have walked with them to the cities they have visited.
And then the moment they have been waiting for, a decision as to what will be required of Gentile converts to the faith, arrives.
We learn that James is in charge. It is he that speaks; not Peter, nor Paul.
We learn that James does not base his decision on Paul, and his teams experience. Certainly, he has received testimony of the great works done. However, when it comes to a decision—a decision followers of Jesus have lived with for 2,000 years—James turns to the Word of God.
The Word of God is the Prime Standard—yesterday and today—not experience, nor the latest human teaching.
By now you know I spent years in the nuclear business. You might guess that it was important that our instruments were accurate. When they said the temperature was 600 degrees +/- 5%, we needed to know that was true. How would we know? We checked them against a Prime Standard.
The consequences of not knowing the temperature accurately could be devastating.
It is why our Prime Standards are so important. They let us know we were on the right path.
Therefore, when it comes to how we live our lives, what standard we align our lives to is critical.
People use all sorts of standards today. Reason and Experience are two. Please hear me. Experience plays a role, and indeed human reason. Yet, has there ever been a time when your experience, your heart, misled you? How about your logic? Ever a time it was flawed? It is why Christians, for centuries, have turned to the Word of God as the Prime Standard.
Many people describe the role of Scripture, reason, and experience as some sort of three-legged stool. But that is the wrong picture. It suggests that these three are of equal importance. I would suggest a better picture is a Big Wheel Tricycle! The Big Wheel is setting the course. It is where the power is applied and where traction happens. Experience and reason serve to keep the trek balanced, not overly leaning on only one, and all along the way, keeping our journey informed.
Today, we see James doing exactly that. He uses the word of God. He notes Simeon’s (Peter’s) experience, and he demonstrates the use of his mind. However, in the end it is the Word of God which guides him.