Recently, after a Sunday sermon one of the elders said something to the gathered assembly that went something like this:
"Raise your hand if you've never changed your mind regarding any point of doctrine."
Of course, nobody raised their hand. As certain as we are of things at this or that point of time, we all know that we in fact have and do change our minds about things - even very important matters. We know that this is true. This is both a humbling and an encouraging reminder.
Changeability humbling because it reminds me that I held some of the very same opinions about things that I now regard as immature, foolish, and wrong. It also reminds me that there will probably be some things I currently hold to be true that I will in the future change my mind about - either in the direction of truth or in the direction of falsehood...but hopefully (and if God so wills) toward truth.
Changeability is encouraging because it reminds me that even the most obstinate-seeming person or group can (from my limited and human perspective) change their mind. When someone says "You're not changing my mind." it may not necessarily be so. They could very well change their mind. It may not happen immediately - in fact it seldom does - but it may happen little by little. My own experience tells me that the changing of one's mind is often a gradual thing, happening silently behind-the-scenes as it were. It rarely or never happens in an argument or discussion itself, but might slowly happen as one lies in bed thinking or in other moments of reflection which are out of public view- when one's thoughts are safely outside the scrutiny of others and where one can safely reflect on things without harm to their pride. Finally, the person realizes they have definitely changed their mind about the thing which they were formerly so stalwart about...and they can reveal their change of heart/conviction publicly (or to one friend or another) in the way they find best. Because I know these things, I can be encouraged in my continued efforts to persuade. I can be encouraged in my continued hope for people in their salvation. I can be encouraged that my talk and my spending of time is not a waste of time.
If one is a Christian and holds the Scripture to be "God speaking", then it will be also seen that God doesn't change. The truth about God is important. If we don't have some knowledge of God's character and who He is, then even if we spell the object of our worship "God" it is not really the True God but rather a false one - and therefore idolatry. The truth about Christ's work on the cross and the reason for it is important. The truth regarding God's attitude toward various things is important. We are told that Jesus is "the Truth." We are shown that Jesus is the very One who was speaking at the burning Bush to Moses and who gave His Law to Moses as well. Yes, the Lord is changeless and holy. His Word is Truth. If we are to follow Him, we must know the importance of all of this. He has revealed himself in Scripture for a reason. He cares about not only the ends but also the means. He emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between good and evil, right and wrong, false worship and true worship. Therefore, we must care about doctrine - because doctrine is about what is true.
This brings us to the difficult part. God is Holy, Perfect, Unchanging. We are not any of those things! I am not any of those things. Our sinful minds screw things up. Even when we're trying our best, the curse of sin which pervades all mankind and indeed the whole world will cloud our thinking and weaken us. What God has made clear we often either willingly or unwillingly distort. However, we still have the clear task of speaking truth. We still have the clear task of proclaiming the True God and His gospel. We still have the dominion mandate as well. What are we to do? I have to admit that this is not easy. We have to somehow be both bold and humble at the same time. Silence is not an option. We have to care more about truth than we care about winning. In fact, we have to be willing to lose an argument if it means we'll gain the truth. I'll admit this is hard, but if I'm to be obedient, then I must at least try.
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