BY GREG CRUM
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
According to James 1:17, there is no “variableness” with and in our God. What does that mean? It means that with our Heavenly Father there is no change in the equation; in other words A + B always equals C with God. The NIV communicates His lack of variableness by saying that He “doesn’t change like shifting shadows,” and the ESV translates James 1:17 to read “with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Taken together we get a clear picture—our God is completely and utterly consistent, predictable, and reliable!
So, according to the testimony of the Bible and thousands that have known our God, He is rock-solid consistent. This is so comforting and reminds us there is security in our relationship with Him. We can know that His value of us, His desire to interact with us, and the ways that He operates on our behalf will not change on a whim, with the times, or because society and the culture of man have changed.
God has never had a need to “evolve” or grow, and therefore will never need to change His perspective concerning anything past, present, or future. This truth is so simple, and for believers in the inerrancy of the Bible is a foregone conclusion, but for many in society today, even some “Christian” groups, it is a truth they have yet to embrace.
This is one of the reasons that, as a whole, the Church collective in America is weaker than what it should be. The “called out ones” in this nation have failed to take the lead in the culture war we have been involved in for the last sixty or seventy years. This has been the case for so long that now we see God having to use non-believers to turn the tide back to a more morally sound society. I know that’s a tough statement, but think about the groups that are standing bold in the face of some of the most radical agendas in America right now. Most of the proponents of “conservative” values are not Christian groups.
Friends, I’m glad we’re heading back to a more morally sound society, but it’s not the world’s job to take the lead in that; it’s ours. It’s the Body of Christ’s job to forge the moral fiber of any society they live in. Yet, we haven’t, have we? It’s as if we have traded that job for acceptance. We’ve lost our power because we’ve watered down our standards to be more appealing to the world (and perhaps so we could enjoy what it has to offer). Here’s the thing—God hasn’t done this. He doesn’t change! Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 echo this point. God hasn’t lowered His standards of conduct to accommodate people or cultures. Now, if that’s the way He operates, and we are followers of Him, shouldn’t that be the way we operate as well?
Remember what was declared in James: there are no variables at play with God. No variables in understanding Him or in the way He operates. Our God is consistent, reliable, and predictable. You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt what you are getting with Him. With God it’s all black, white, and red! Who God is, how He acts and interacts with us, His attitudes and thoughts, can be known by man through His written testimony of Himself to us (the Bible).
Brothers and sisters, God isn’t trying to be mysterious to His children. He wants to be known by us, and He can be personally known. Why is this important? Well, because if we can know God, we can be definitive in our stance concerning Him. We can confidently declare, “Yes, God definitely thinks this way or that way” concerning even the most controversial topics of our day. We can speak for Him definitively and be at the forefront of shaping our culture to better reflect God’s desire for man.
We can finally take our God-designated position as the cultural mold for the societies we live in. We can once again stand our ground on gender, sexuality, addiction, and every other issue our culture faces when we know God’s stance, and when His stance is ours!
Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.