Moving the Goalposts
As the pandemic has worn on, there has been a lot of talk about “moving the goalposts.” That phrase has been thrown around a good deal by people who feel as if the goals we are trying to reach to get back to normal keep being moved and extended. Flatten the curve becomes wait until summer becomes maybe in the fall becomes when there is a vaccine becomes when a large number are vaccinated…and so on. Some wonder when (or if) it will end.
I do not write that to take sides. I am not in a position to make those decisions, so, while I have feelings about it, I do not know the pressure of being the one having to decide when to do what.
But, no matter how you feel about it, you have dealt with something similar in your life at some point. You have felt as if you were about to achieve or accomplish something, only to have the goal move on you. The feeling of frustration is incredibly strong when that happens.
As people, we like knowing where the boundaries are, but we also like knowing where the goal is. In football, we like knowing that the endzone is 100 yards away. In basketball, we like knowing that the hoop is 10 feet in the air. In baseball, we like knowing that first base is 90 feet down the line. In bowling, we like knowing there are 10 pins set up in an exact pattern.
Can you imagine lining up for a free throw in a huge moment in a game? Now, imagine that, while you are preparing the shoot, the referee comes out and says, “Since you’ve done so well shooting in this game, we’re going to raise the goal to 12 feet, and, if you make the first shot, we’ll raise it to 14 feet.” You’d be more than a little frustrated, wouldn’t you?
We simply cannot stand it when the goalposts are moved on us.
And that makes us love God even more. Why? He does not move the goalposts.
The standard is the standard. Scripture stands as the standard we are to follow and it is unchanging. From the time when the pen of inspiration was laid down in the First Century until now–and for however long the world stands–there will be no moving of the goalposts. What God demands and expects will continue to be the same.
He will always say, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). No religious teaching that tries to explain that away, change it, or add to it will ever change the standard.
The fruit of the spirit will always be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Those qualities will always be the product of a Spirit-filled life.
Sins–such as lying, adultery, bitterness, homosexuality, and disobedience to parents–will always be wrong, no matter how much a society wants to change or rebrand them. God will always call them sin and we will have no excuse for not knowing.
We could go on, but the point is simple: we should love God even more knowing that He does not change the standard on us. He has given us all we need to be faithful to Him and it will not change for any reason. He will never move the goalposts.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
