President John Quincy Adams once called both Houses of Congress
together
for a special meeting. He walked in carrying two bushel baskets. He
said, “The
bushel measure in my right hand came from South
Carolina;
the one in my left hand comes from the city of New York. One
of these bushel measures
contains sixty-eight cubic inches more than the other one.”
He then walked up
to a table and picked up two one pound weights. He said,
“This weight in my
right hand came from Massachusetts;
this other
one came from Maine.
One of them weighs nearly an ounce more than the other one.”
He concluded,
“Gentlemen, we need a standard measurement and a standard
weight for the United States of America.”
The establishment of the Bureau of Weights and Measures
resulted from this visual demonstration.
We understand that
there must be a set standard for weights and measures. However,
there must also be a standard for matters of religion. Why is the
religious
world divided asunder by various beliefs and doctrines? The answer
should be
obvious. Most religious people are not content to use God’s
standard, the
Bible.
We must not measure
ourselves religiously by our own opinions or
conjectures. Neither should we strive to live up to the standards of
manmade
doctrines and creeds. We ought to be content with God’s
standard, the Bible.
The Bible is truth (John 17:17), and as such thoroughly furnishes us
unto all
good works (2 Timothy 3:17). Furthermore, the Bible contains all that
“pertains
to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Yes, we must have a
standard! And that
standard is God’s Word.
