In the previous article in Section A, we looked at why it is that many people do not understand the things of God? We saw that until they are born again of the Spirit of God they are spiritually dead, blind, deaf and bound by Satan. It is when one’s eyes are opened to the truth that is in Jesus that one begins to understand spiritual realities and can come to grasp God’s eternal plan and purpose for His world. In what appears to be a chaotic world of rapid change, there are some things that are constant that will never change. God is unchanging. His word is unchanging. His purposes for His world are unchanging. God is at work to bring about his purposes even though humans may not understand Him or His plans for this world.

We look then at some of the unchanging truths that God has revealed to us through His word. They are truths that most of His people throughout the ages have believed. Many of those people have even been willing to die for them when challenged.

Here are some unchanging truths that have been held by believers for 2000 plus years of human history. They are not “proof texts” harnessed together. Rather they are samples of many texts that could be quoted on the following topics. They show us the mind and purpose of God for His creation and for His creatures.

SECTION B. GOD’S UNCHANGING TRUTHS TO BE SHARED WITH OTHERS

A]. THERE IS A CREATOR GOD WHO CREATED THIS UNIVERSE

1. There is a God who created this world.

• Gen 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”.
• Created through His agent, Jesus. Joh 1:3 “All things were made through him [Jesus], and without him was not any thing made that was made.” AND Heb 1:2 “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

2. The Creator God has made humans in his own image, and as male and female.

• Gen 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them… .”
• Jesus in His teaching, Mat 19:4 ‘He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female.”’

3. The Creator God created them as males and females to make it possible for them to reproduce and to have dominion on the earth.

• Gen 1:28, “ … And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

B]. THE CREATOR GOD DESIGNED MARRIAGE FOR HIS PURPOSES

1. The creator’s intention for marriage was that it be between a man and woman.

• Gen 2:21 “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
• Jesus in Mat 19:4, “He [Jesus] answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

C]. HUMANS REBELLED AGAINST GOD’S PURPOSES FOR MARRIAGE FOR HUMANKIND

1. The creator is opposed to homosexual practice.

• Lev 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
• Lev 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them”.
• 1Cor 6:9 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality.”
• 1Ti 1:9 “understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.”

2. Humans are accountable to God for their behaviour including sexual behaviour.

• Lev 18:30 “So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.” [This includes homosexual practice.]
• Lev 20:23 “And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.” [The choice is either to fit in with God’s purposes or to rebel against them. God loves all people but detests rebellion because of the damage it does to the people He loves.]
• Rom 14:11 ‘for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” {Every person is accountable to God for how they live in His world. Absolutely no exceptions. Even for those who say there is no God! Saying, “There is no God!” doesn’t make Him cease to exist!]

D]. HUMANS AS GOD INTENDED THEM TO BE [FOLLOWING THE FALL]

1. They need to repent of sin and rebellion against God. That was the call from John the Baptist and also from Jesus when He began His ministry.

• Mat 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
• Paul in Athens. Act 17:30 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”
• Paul shared his gospel message and mission before King Agrippa. Act 26:20 “but [I] declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” [True repentance means a change of mind accompanied by a change in attitude and behaviour. It involves turning to God.]

2. They need to be born again of the Holy Spirit of God.

• Jesus speaking to a “good” man. Joh 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

3. They need to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and show forth the fruit of the Spirit in everyday living.

• Paul issues a command from God, not just a good suggestion. Eph 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
• The [singular] fruit of the Spirit [fruit = karpos] should be the inevitable outworking of the presence of the Holy Spirit in every believer. It should be the consistent Christian character of all believers. Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

4. They need to be guided and led by the Spirit of God to achieve God’s purposes for their lives.

• The Holy Spirit can guide humans who are open to His guidance. Gal 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
• It is the born-again [of the Holy Spirit] children of God who can know His continual guidance, Rom 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
• We are able to know and to have the willingness and ability to do the will of God for us, as we work out in practice what He is inwardly working within us by His Spirit. Php 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

SUMMING UP:

These are all non-negotiable truths that will exist for eternity. Reality is seeing things as God sees them and which He has made known in His word. Reality is what God says it to be, not what we might imagine it to be.

Reality is not what humans determine. It means then that the recent decision in the parliament of Australia to change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples is contrary to His declared intention  of marriage as being between a man and a woman. The fact that over 60% of voters voted in favour of changing the definition, doesn’t make it right. It may be seen to be good and lawful in the eyes of humans but is not [and never will be] right in the eyes of the Lord.  He has spoken on the subject as the Creator of the universe. Clearly!

Claims that Australia had “come together” for the vote ignored the reality that over a third of the voters voted against a change in the definition of marriage. That is not a “coming together,” it is a “tearing apart.” The nation is divided on the issue and will remain divided while many people live in a state of unreality about the concept of marriage.

There were a number of indicators that the whole procedure was contentious. The promise of political leaders that “We will have same-sex marriage before Christmas!” was sheer presumption when they were in the process of changing a millennial long view of marriage.  Both leaders had promised that deep concerns about religious freedom and free speech would be protected but they failed to ensure that happened before the laws were put in place.  It sounded like Jephthah’s foolish vow that he would sacrifice the first thing to come out of his palace as he returned home. When it proved to be his beloved daughter he did not want to lose face and was determined to fulfil his vow. Ungodly vows do not bring about godly results. Everyone knew there needed to be genuine and deep discussion on those matters of religious freedom and free speech, but vows had to be fulfilled! To reach a deadline, not a genuine concerned considered outcome! Unholy haste?

What now?

In the eyes of some people, the issue is settled and the new order has come into being and people should learn to live with the new reality. Except it isn’t real in God’s eyes! Humans cannot change the unchangeable. Generations will come and go but God will never change. His views will never change. His purpose for marriage will never change. His attitude to homosexual practice will never change. His love for sinners will remain and His arms are always stretched out wide to welcome those who like the prodigal son come home to Him saying, “I’m sorry!”

The question now is how to live in this new [un]reality and how can we help people come to know and understand [and accept] reality as God sees it? That is going to be a massive and unpopular task for all of us but one worth exploring in future articles.

Blog No.254. Posted on jimholbeck.blog on Tuesday 19^th December 2017