12/27/2022
As Christians we follow Jesus Christ who is our unchanging Lord, and we find comfort in Him in this way. When we are around people who are constantly changing it is unsettling, because we never know their beliefs, or what they consider truth from day to day, but in Christ we know truth, and we believe in Him with confidence.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
The world would have us believe that our faith is in a constant state of flux, and is in a daily process of reinventing itself. Satan, in his subtle fashion would like to lead us away from God and Jesus Christ by convincing us to believe half-truths, and comfortable feeling lies; he does this to change the tenets of our faith and to realign them with what pleases man.
Yet our God, who is good and unchanging, defines the world by his unfaltering Word. We cannot define his goodness and will by our justification and acceptance of sin. Our Father’s Holy, righteous, and unchanging nature, gives us assurance in His Word, and provides us with a star by which our course towards eternity with Him can dependably be set.
“Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.”
Hebrews 13:9 ESV
God is not only unchanging in Himself, but demands that our faith in Him be unchanging as well. Our sinfulness is not constantly moving towards some form of righteousness, nor is righteousness conforming itself to sin. For us to be righteous, and holy we must separate ourselves from sin, not convince ourselves that the sin that we do has somehow become good.
“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 100:5 ESV
Our attempts to redefine sin by calling it morally acceptable still fall short, and do not make it righteous in the eyes of God. Man’s morality is not God’s, and no matter how much we try to convince ourselves to the contrary; even if our pastors attempt to justify our behavior before God, it is still a sin and they have become sinners. At best we become lukewarm.
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16 ESV
So, contrary to what the world has been attempting to teach us since the invention of the birth control pill, sexual immorality didn’t suddenly become morally right overnight, nor is it good in the sight of God just because we can now prevent pregnancy. Likewise, homosexual acts cannot be justified because of two people’s ability to love one another in some fashion. The truth is that although it might look like the love that God established between a man and a woman it is not, and thus remains the abomination and sin that God has always called it. The passage of time has not changed these things, nor has it changed any of the other sins we have attempted to redefine. Sin remains sin regardless of Satan’s attempts to convince us otherwise… God is unchanging, even in His definition of sin.
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV
In every way, every commandment, and every judgement, our Lord is unchanging, and in as much as this is true, so is what He has called sin. Though we are in the world we are not of it, and thus we are not to be sinful. In this way there is no justification for our sin… only redemption through Jesus our Lord.
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:15-17 ESV
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for separating us from sin, and keeping our eyes fixed on your Holy and righteous ways. We thank you for leading us from temptation and protecting us from evil, even in the face of Satan’s subtle schemes to change our perception of your unchanging nature. Holy, Holy, Holy, our God who was, and is, and is to come. Praised be your name for every word you speak, and it’s unchanging truth that guides us in our faith. Merciful are you who forgives us through our belief in Jesus, and the application of His redeeming blood to the sins we have committed. There is no way we can justify or redefine sin in our lives, only Jesus on the cross was able to do that. Your Grace flowing through Him is our hope, and sanctifies us. Forgive us through Jesus for we have sinned, but His blood washes us clean, and your grace in Him is sufficient to lead us into your Holy presence. Judge us worthy Father, and as Christ abides in you, and you in Him, let us abide in you as well, and remain in you forevermore.
Rich Forbes