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ONE CONSTANT IN A WORLD OF CHANGE
People, politics, religion, opinions, morals, economics, laws – you name it and it has changed, is in process of changing or will soon change. Is there nothing that remains constant? Is there no solid rock among the ever changing waves crashing around us? Yes, there is one unchanging constant. In Malachi 3:6 we read: “For I am the LORD, I change not...” Jehovah is always the same, always dependable, always constant. Again we read, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). A similar statement is made in 1 Samuel 15:19 where it is written, “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” James contrasts God with the sun which is constantly producing moving shadows, calling Him, “...the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,” (James 1:17). Because He never changes we can depend upon what He has said. Because of this Paul wrote, “For all the promises of God in him [Christ] are yea, and in him Amen,” (2 Corinthians 1:20). God does not change. He does not need to change either His mind or His actions. (He may be said to repent - change or turn – only in that He may proceed in a certain direction for a time and then after arriving at a predetermined point move in a different direction, but this is all to achieve His predetermined purpose which has never changed.) Joseph was instructed concerning the name of Mary's firstborn, “...thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins,” (Matthew 1:20) and He is doing just that. In the Old Testament it was prophesied of Christ that, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law,” (Isaiah 42:4). Neither God the Father, God the Son, nor God the Holy Spirit has ever failed nor will failure ever be known to God! He is dependable. His Word is sure. His Word reveals His Son, the Savior, the Messiah, the Christ, God's Anointed. Christ is called by God, “...mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth...” (Isaiah 42:1). The One in whom the Father delights is the One who is “the firstborn from the dead,” (Colossians 1:18). God's foreknowledge of certain individuals and His predestination of them shall eventually conform them to the image of Christ, thus making Christ “the firsborn among many brethren.” We learn this from Romans 8:29 which says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” So it is that God, without failure, is constant and dependable in successfully carrying out His plan of salvation – which is the only plan of salvation. |
