It always blows my mind how often supposed Bible Teachers and Scholars claim that from the Old Testament to the New, God changes his mind. Which of course, is not true. God never changes his mind. Numbers 23:19 The Book of Galatians goes over this very thoroughly. Paul makes the point that the law lays down the basic moral baseline of what God expects of all people. A baseline in which no one can meet or fulfill. Gal.3:11 Jesus fulfills the law for us, by us “being crucified in Christ” and therefore “it is no longer (us) who live (as Christians) but it is Christ (who now) lives in us (and through us). Gal.2:20 Grace, or God’s unearned favor, is provided to us through the Spirit given gift of faith, or the ability to believe. Eph.2:8-9 The Law is eternal and never changes. Matt.5:18, 1 Peter 1:24-25, Ps.118:89 The eternal, unchanging law is our schoolmaster that brings us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Gal.3:24
In other words, the Law is eternal, never changing. It always brings judgment upon us. It is written to show our helplessness in our condemnation of sin. It is written to lead us to faith, by revealing to us our utter need for the Messiah’s sacrifice for us to free us from the condemnation of the Law. It is by our faith in Jesus all the requirements of the Law are fulfilled for us through him.
So, beware of anyone who justifies their sin by saying “God changes his mind.” It is never true. After all, Jesus came to fulfill the Law. Matt.5:17-20, not to abolish it! His own words. He says, Matt.5:19 “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
I thought the efforts of Synod 22-24 was to end sex discussion and move on to more important. Looks like more obsession about homosexuality. Got to keep the flame alive.
I'm not sensing why this review is being put forward by ABIDE. Can someone please clarify what value this review has from the perspective of the 'edification', or building up of the Body of Christ, what TRUTH from God's Word has been sighted, or how the 'many words' put forward in the review and the rest of the article help us as believers to avoid being 'conformed to the world', or to be 'transformed by the renewal of our minds'? Even sharing this type of information, which does not uphold what scripture teaches, continues to encourage false teaching and false ideas that do not align with God's Holy Word or to the Confessions that we also hold close to our hearts. 'From out of the heart the mouth speaks'. Much is revealed by the words we speak. Every idle word will be judged we are warned in scripture. Sadly this type of writing seems to be what many look to for their guidance for spirituality, but it is NOT what saves anyone from sin or destruction. All throughout scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, God warns of false gods, false teachers, false teachings. We are to separate ourselves from that which is not true and this requires discernment (I John 4) as we cling to what God has revealed in His Word, following it fully with obedient hearts. God's Word is the foundation of our salvation and the basis for everything we believe as Christians. Those who choose to cling to the futility of their own wisdom rather than God's are 'supressing the truth in unrighteousness' (Romans 1), and the outcome of believing what is false will only lead to death. ABIDE by it's very name is to represent the ideal that Jesus shared about 'abiding in the vine', Himself in other words. He states that 'Apart from Me you can do nothing', and as He is the Word made flesh, only what He has said will stand. 'Be not decieved, God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap'. One only needs to study Old Testament men of faith like Joshua, Abraham, Moses, King David and many others (Hebrews 11) to be reminded of the importance of believing God, obeying His commandments and clinging to Him for life and godliness. Sadly we seem to have have lost our conception of how lost we really are, and how desparately we need the mercy of God to avoid complete destruction. While God always provides us with all we need for 'faith and godliness', we continue to look to ourselves for 'salvation' through excusing sin, justifying it or pushing away God's truth. Satan used the same tactics in the Garden of Eden, and we are still dealing with the results of those decisions today. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any concern about that shared in this 'review'. Rather I see those who 'cling' to the Truth of God's Word being 'judged' and quite severly while sin is being encouraged and God's Word is being treated as 'insufficient', 'unauthoritative' and practically 'irrelevant'.
I have appreciated everything that the ABIDE Project has put forward in the past...so many good articles, wonderful coverage of the meetings of SYNOD. Please keep up this important work of building up the body of Christ! We are a forgetful people. John Calvin says something about our minds being an idol factory so let us continue to stand firm in God's Word to avoid what doesn't please God. Joshua was commanded by God to be faithful in keeping His commandments 'do not turn to the right or the left'. If a great servant of God was told this and God fulfilled every promise to His people through Joshua who was used of God to deliver the Promised Land and Israel's inheritance to every tribe, just as He said, why should we not also take this Old Testament example to heart? God never fails to keep His promises, we are the ones who need to commit ourselves to Him, cling to Him, obey Him and we will see the great and marvelous things that He will do! To God be the Glory!
fwiw, I thought that Sprinkle's first point in his addendum carried a lot of weight, viz that one should be reading widely in what others have said. This sentence in particular struck me as apt,
"They also talk about sexuality in a way that assumes a very strong essentialist view: that is, the view that sexual attraction is purely innate, never shifts, and must be expressed in sexual behavior."
This essentialist view, he goes on to note, is also that of the distortions of purity culture. This essentialist view is also one that shadows much of the CRC discussion on left and right.
It always blows my mind how often supposed Bible Teachers and Scholars claim that from the Old Testament to the New, God changes his mind. Which of course, is not true. God never changes his mind. Numbers 23:19 The Book of Galatians goes over this very thoroughly. Paul makes the point that the law lays down the basic moral baseline of what God expects of all people. A baseline in which no one can meet or fulfill. Gal.3:11 Jesus fulfills the law for us, by us “being crucified in Christ” and therefore “it is no longer (us) who live (as Christians) but it is Christ (who now) lives in us (and through us). Gal.2:20 Grace, or God’s unearned favor, is provided to us through the Spirit given gift of faith, or the ability to believe. Eph.2:8-9 The Law is eternal and never changes. Matt.5:18, 1 Peter 1:24-25, Ps.118:89 The eternal, unchanging law is our schoolmaster that brings us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Gal.3:24
In other words, the Law is eternal, never changing. It always brings judgment upon us. It is written to show our helplessness in our condemnation of sin. It is written to lead us to faith, by revealing to us our utter need for the Messiah’s sacrifice for us to free us from the condemnation of the Law. It is by our faith in Jesus all the requirements of the Law are fulfilled for us through him.
So, beware of anyone who justifies their sin by saying “God changes his mind.” It is never true. After all, Jesus came to fulfill the Law. Matt.5:17-20, not to abolish it! His own words. He says, Matt.5:19 “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
I thought the efforts of Synod 22-24 was to end sex discussion and move on to more important. Looks like more obsession about homosexuality. Got to keep the flame alive.
I'm not sensing why this review is being put forward by ABIDE. Can someone please clarify what value this review has from the perspective of the 'edification', or building up of the Body of Christ, what TRUTH from God's Word has been sighted, or how the 'many words' put forward in the review and the rest of the article help us as believers to avoid being 'conformed to the world', or to be 'transformed by the renewal of our minds'? Even sharing this type of information, which does not uphold what scripture teaches, continues to encourage false teaching and false ideas that do not align with God's Holy Word or to the Confessions that we also hold close to our hearts. 'From out of the heart the mouth speaks'. Much is revealed by the words we speak. Every idle word will be judged we are warned in scripture. Sadly this type of writing seems to be what many look to for their guidance for spirituality, but it is NOT what saves anyone from sin or destruction. All throughout scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, God warns of false gods, false teachers, false teachings. We are to separate ourselves from that which is not true and this requires discernment (I John 4) as we cling to what God has revealed in His Word, following it fully with obedient hearts. God's Word is the foundation of our salvation and the basis for everything we believe as Christians. Those who choose to cling to the futility of their own wisdom rather than God's are 'supressing the truth in unrighteousness' (Romans 1), and the outcome of believing what is false will only lead to death. ABIDE by it's very name is to represent the ideal that Jesus shared about 'abiding in the vine', Himself in other words. He states that 'Apart from Me you can do nothing', and as He is the Word made flesh, only what He has said will stand. 'Be not decieved, God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap'. One only needs to study Old Testament men of faith like Joshua, Abraham, Moses, King David and many others (Hebrews 11) to be reminded of the importance of believing God, obeying His commandments and clinging to Him for life and godliness. Sadly we seem to have have lost our conception of how lost we really are, and how desparately we need the mercy of God to avoid complete destruction. While God always provides us with all we need for 'faith and godliness', we continue to look to ourselves for 'salvation' through excusing sin, justifying it or pushing away God's truth. Satan used the same tactics in the Garden of Eden, and we are still dealing with the results of those decisions today. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any concern about that shared in this 'review'. Rather I see those who 'cling' to the Truth of God's Word being 'judged' and quite severly while sin is being encouraged and God's Word is being treated as 'insufficient', 'unauthoritative' and practically 'irrelevant'.
I have appreciated everything that the ABIDE Project has put forward in the past...so many good articles, wonderful coverage of the meetings of SYNOD. Please keep up this important work of building up the body of Christ! We are a forgetful people. John Calvin says something about our minds being an idol factory so let us continue to stand firm in God's Word to avoid what doesn't please God. Joshua was commanded by God to be faithful in keeping His commandments 'do not turn to the right or the left'. If a great servant of God was told this and God fulfilled every promise to His people through Joshua who was used of God to deliver the Promised Land and Israel's inheritance to every tribe, just as He said, why should we not also take this Old Testament example to heart? God never fails to keep His promises, we are the ones who need to commit ourselves to Him, cling to Him, obey Him and we will see the great and marvelous things that He will do! To God be the Glory!
fwiw, I thought that Sprinkle's first point in his addendum carried a lot of weight, viz that one should be reading widely in what others have said. This sentence in particular struck me as apt,
"They also talk about sexuality in a way that assumes a very strong essentialist view: that is, the view that sexual attraction is purely innate, never shifts, and must be expressed in sexual behavior."
This essentialist view, he goes on to note, is also that of the distortions of purity culture. This essentialist view is also one that shadows much of the CRC discussion on left and right.