It was an unusual tumor arising within the patient’s tongue. The histopathological pattern was familiar but it had been years since I had seen a case like this. I knew which reference I needed to find as I grabbed a well-worn book from my shelf. The edges were frayed and the gold gilded lettering on the cover was faded but still readily discernible, “Color Atlas of Oral Pathology.”
Published in 1956, it was one of my father’s textbooks which he used in dental school. Opening the pages, I was greeted with the familiar scent of an old textbook, a peculiar mix of musty and medicinal. Flipping through the yellowing pages that still retained some of its original gloss, I found the rare disease I was seeking. The disease photographed over 60 years ago was identical to what was I now viewing on my microscope slide. The prognosis and treatment of diseases may change with time but the appearance, the picture, does not change. I was gratified to be reassured by the familiar image.
God’s Word is no different. Some liberal critics of the Bible and Christianity believe the Bible cannot address the complex issues that face us today. Nuclear war, the internet, political correctness-where are these found in the Bible? Doesn’t the Bible need to change and be updated to provide relevant answers? Can a book that was written nearly two thousand years ago have anything meaningful to say about current events?
The Bible does not need to change because human nature does not change. We are still sinners, in rebellion against God. The nature of our sins may change but we do not. We have created new and deadlier weapons. We have created nearly instantaneous ways of communicating via the internet. We have attempted to rid our languages and cultures of all gender, religious, racial, and socioeconomic references. Have these advances made us better individuals and created a better society? The polarizing hate-spewed rhetoric and actions that dominate our culture provides the dark answer. We do not need a new Bible or a new Church. We need to become a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
When we confess and repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation. Through the indwelling power of God, the Holy Spirit, we are transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. When this happens, we begin to understand that the problems we currently face are a direct result of our fallen nature. By our own efforts, we are powerless to change. We need a supernatural intervention. We need Jesus Christ. Only God can change us because He created us.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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