If yesterday had been the only day of the conference, I believe I would have left satisfied. Paul Renfro opened up by asking the Lord to feed us until we want no more. I told my mom on the web cam last night that the Lord certainly accomplished that! Last night, there were two keynote sessions, one by Dr. Timothy Jones (Professor at Southern Seminary) and the other by Paul Renfro (Elder at Grace Family Baptist). I’m going to do my best to give a summary of both, though I can promise you I will NOT DO THEM JUSTICE!! Both of these men presented a powerful message stirred the hearts of everyone in the room!
Dr. Jones’ presentation was The History of Age Segregation: How Did We Get Here? Dr. Jones began with a comical introduction, speaking of the scene in the movie the Incredibles. He mentioned how in this particular scene, the family is sitting down having dinner except, everyone is disengaged, including the father, who is working in his office. And when things get really out of control, and the kids are going wild, the mother calls for her husband’s intervention and his response is, “Kids, listen to your mother!”
The point he drove at with this example was that fathers are not engaged in the lives of their families. Scripture commands fathers to teach their children, and they cannot teach their children when they aren’t even engaged in their lives. He pointed out that Martin Luther’s reformation of the family was even greater than his theological reformation! In his time, Luther saw the loss of father’s discipling their children and encouraged fathers to accept their God-given roles. Even Jonathan Edwards believed that the father was primarily responsible for the education and discipling of children. But there was a problem, and it all began with:
1) Individualism – Foundation of theological liberalism
2) Universalism –Industrial revolution and American Frontier life
In the case of universalism, both the industrial revolution and the American Frontier life pulled fathers away from their families. Prior to this, fathers led family businesses, but with the Industrial revolution came factories and other such places where the family was split apart for the day. And so, this created a problem, because now families weren’t involved in working together. Some were in one place while others were in another, and even some weren’t old enough to work. Thus, to answer this problem, Horace Mann proposed a “solution” to the problem: State run elementary schools! He decided that now, instead of the family discipling and training their children, the state would assume that role.
But even then there was opposition. For example, A.A. Hodge warned that government run education would ultimately lead to atheism. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but is that not where we are today? How does the church respond to all of this? Glad you asked! Instead of rejecting this fragmentation of secular culture, they try and make themselves acceptable to this new idea by making young people societies! All of a sudden your social standing was no longer based on your ability to relate well to multiple age groups, it was “can you relate to your peers?” Keep moving forward through history and we get to a man named G. Stanly Hall who, in response to the invention of government education, invented the term “adolescence.”
But, oh, this brings us to the cream of the pie! This brings us to where we are now! The next step in this fragmented process was the efficiency movement, which is best described as an assembly line. Church becomes centralized, professionalized (only trained professionals here), and segregated (each person has a certain role to play and they only deal with their segment). You have professionals working in various functions, but each is only responsible for ensuring that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing in their area.
As a result of this, the early 1900’s brought about further disengagement of fathers, idolatry, and efficiency. From that point on, it only gets worse. The market suddenly starts advertising to this “new” age group, churches create youth groups and Sunday schools which are professional, centralized, and segregated. Adolescence becomes the preferred state of life; Get in as soon as you can, stay in as long as you can, and when you get out, reminisce about how good it was. That is the mentality of our youth crazed culture folks!
Yet in the midst of all this, Dr. Jones gave an insightful, biblical caution; family integration is not the answer to the problem, it is a byproduct to the answer; repentance. In order for this to work, the people of Christ must repent and come to Christ on our knees, open and bare, we must plead with Him to direct us in how the church is to function biblically.
So, in the context of Dr. Jones’ presentation, Paul Renfro begs the question, “Where Do We Go From Here?” How do we bring about this reformation we so desperately need in our churches? He began by saying that no reformation comes without regeneration. He supported his point with 2 Chronicles 34 which tells the story of King Josiah, who by the way reformed Judah as an “adolescent.” I encourage you to read through 2 Chronicles 34-36. You want to know how to bring reformation? Read these three chapters.
Anyway, after the Israelites had purged the land of idolatry (2 Chronicles 34:4), they went back and began searching the temple and rediscovered the Law of Moses (vs. 14)! Therefore, not only had Josiah brought about this reformation without having any scripture to go guide him through the process, but the Israelites had drifted so far from God that they had even lost His Word! Mr. Renfro made a point to say that this is where the church is today. In his own words, “We need to stop thinking outside the box and start thinking and living inside the Book!” Our churches must be driven by the Holy Word of God if they are to survive to bring about reformation.
Scripture must be our source of authority, not traditions! In so many ways, our traditions (i.e. Sunday school) have become the gospel to the church and we risk offending and hurting someone if we reject traditions that are clearly unbiblical! Yet in the midst of this, Mr. Renfro gives us a wise caution, “So as we reform, we have to be careful not to create other traditions that people will later have to undo.” With the family integrated church (FIC), it has to be careful not to create its own “authoritative” traditions.
I could keep going, but I will move on =) Mr. Renfro’s final point was Reformation requires brokenness and repentance. Under this point, he provided 14 essentials for broken and repentant reformation: (I’m just going to list these and I leave it up to you to do the digging ;) )
1) We must reform to a biblical view of who does what in salvation (man is not sovereign, God is).
2) We must return to preaching the whole gospel (not just what will save someone or make someone think God is somehow a genie who answers all their desires and wishes).
• We must return to a Biblical approach to evangelism (God is not pleading people to come to Him, He is commanding)
3) We need a plurality of Elders – Acts 14:23.
4) We need Biblically qualified men to lead the church (must have his home life in order – Titus 1).
5) We must return to Biblical manhood and womanhood (both created equal in the site of God but the man assumes the role as leader and head of his home while the woman submits).
6) Age-integrated Titus 2 ministry (the people teaching must be mature believers).
7) We must view children as a blessing not a burden.
8) Women are to be keepers at home (reject feminism and careerism).
9) Church is a community of faith – Acts 2.
10) We must return to children honoring and obeying their parents – Ephesians 6, Proverbs 13:24
11) Parents must be the primary disciplers, not the church (not the only disciplers, but the primary).
12) We must provide children with a Biblical worldview education [85% of Christian children are in government schools. Can someone tell me how you get a Biblical worldview out of something that is secular, humanistic, individualistic, atheistic, and evolutionistic (I don’t know if that’s a word, but you get the point)?].
13) We must return to loving Biblical church discipline
14) We must return to Biblical discipleship – Matthew 28
Mr. Renfro noted that this is by no means an all inclusive list, but these are the major things that MUST occur for reformation to come to pass properly.
Are you still there? If so, that is what Dad and I were blessed to hear Friday night. Let me just say that there is no way I can do it justice here, but I want you to know that there is a strong movement in place for reformation, and it’s only beginning! The only thing I can say is, come next year :) I say that half joking, but at the same time, if you want to know how the church is to REALLY function Biblically, it don’t get better than this!
Anyway, hopefully tomorrow I will have a summary of today’s sessions. Right now though, I can tell you my brain is fried from all the information! I have literally been fed until I want no more; that is, until I wake up tomorrow ;) Dad and I are blessed to be able to attend Grace Family Baptist Church tomorrow. After hearing this all weekend, it is going to be amazing to see it in action!
I’ll be in touch!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Josh
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Headed to Texas!
That’s right!!! After years of waiting, the Lord finally presented me with the opportunity and the means to go to the great republic of Texas! Some of you might be thinking, “This is kind of sudden!” You’d be right! A couple weeks ago, Mr. Baucham announced that his church is conducting the Semper Reformanda Conference (You can look at some info about the conference here); a conference for those considering planting a family integrated church, or for those who wish to transition their existing church into a family integrated church. Anyhow, to make a long story short, our family concluded that this would be an extremely beneficial conference for me to attend, as I believe God would like me to plant or transition a church into the family integrated model. In case you’re wondering, I’m not going alone :) I count it a joy to have the honor of sharing this journey with my father! I praise the Lord for my dad; that he is passionate about serving Him, and passionate about passing on his vision of raising men and women who love the Lord and love their families to the next generation of Hedricks.
As you can probably imagine, I’m very excited, but I need to get some shut eye =) I will be blogging about the trip and the conference throughout the weekend, though, so keep checking back for updates!
Josh
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Continuing Collapse
For many years now, Bruce Shortt has been warning Christian parents of the negative effects of government education. Since the summer of 2008, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his monthly series entitled The Continuing Collapse, and in light of the recent appointment of Kevin Jennings (a radical supporter of homosexuality), as the “Safe Schools Czar,” (see here) I decided I would share October's edition of The Continuing Collapse with you.
I believe, as Christians, it is our responsibility to give our children a Christian education (Ephesians 6:4, Titus 2:1-2, Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Unfortunately, we have forgotten what true, Biblical education looks like. The education of our children is the sole responsibility of parents, not government, or teachers!
Anyway, enough of my rambling ;) I hope you enjoy October’s edition of The Continuing Collapse.
Click here to read.
In Christ,
Josh
I believe, as Christians, it is our responsibility to give our children a Christian education (Ephesians 6:4, Titus 2:1-2, Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Unfortunately, we have forgotten what true, Biblical education looks like. The education of our children is the sole responsibility of parents, not government, or teachers!
Anyway, enough of my rambling ;) I hope you enjoy October’s edition of The Continuing Collapse.
Click here to read.
In Christ,
Josh
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Immutability of God Part Two
“I most certainly agree with the immutability of God. However, if we cannot "change God's mind", then why do we pray? I am confident that God is in control of everything, and knows what will happen before it happens. Yet, in prayer we ask Him for things. If our prayers do nothing to change what is already destined to happen, then why pray? In the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus tells the disciples to pray constantly and not give up. Doesn't this parable imply that our petitions can "change God's mind?" Since God knows/controls the future (and knows, therefore, what we will ask Him for and what His answwer will be), I agree that the phrase "change His mind" is not really applicable. How would you explain what effect our prayers have on God considering the immutability of God?”
Carl
___________________________________________________________________
Well Carl, you bring up such an excellent question that I decided to devote an entire post to it. If God can’t change his mind, then what’s the use of praying? First of all, just let me say that prayer is a powerful mystery that I by no means can fully comprehend, but as I’ve heard Andy Stanley say, in our culture we want a backpack god. We want a god we can carry around and pull out when times get rough or when we think we need him in our lives. In other words, we want a god we can control. But that’s not how God operates; yet that is exactly what is so wonderful about our God!!! He does not operate by the ways of man! No! God is infinite, outside of time and space. Instead of trying to control God through our prayers, we should humbly submit all our hopes and dreams, all our wants and desires before His throne and allow Him to control our lives! We pray because we do not know the mind of God. And because we don’t know the mind of God, we have to plead with God that He might reveal His will so that we might understand His plans. Revelation, according to Dr. Elmer Towns, is “The act whereby God gives us knowledge about Himself which we could not otherwise know.” Thus, when we pray, we are asking God to share new information with us that, apart from His divine intervention, we would never know; we are asking Him to reveal His will to us.
I agree that prayer is a powerful thing, and that God responds to our prayers. However, this goes back to our view of how God responds to us when we pray. When we pray, it’s important to remember that our prayers don’t alter what God has determined in His Sovereignty. Rather it is man, through the process of much prayer and study, who changes his mind and decides to do God’s will (Exodus 3-4). Thus, prayer does not change God, though sometimes it may seem as though it does; man changes. Man is the one who alters His course to accomplish the will of God. For example, when we repent of our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness, God doesn’t change, man does. Other times, it appears as though God has changed His mind when He is really showing His mercy; such as in Jonah 3 and Exodus 32. Still other times we pray because we don’t know what God’s will is in certain situations!
I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that someone you know has just been diagnosed with cancer. The doctors say that this individual only has a few weeks left to live. In response to this, you ask members of your church to gather together to pray that God would preserve this person’s life. A week later, the person diagnosed with cancer goes back for surgery. But when the doctor goes in to perform the surgery, he discovers that all the cancer has disappeared.
It seems as though God changed His plans because of your prayers and decided to let this person live. But consider this; it was you who chose to beseech God that this person might live. God knew you would come before Him and ask that He preserve this person’s life. It was God’s WILL that you come broken hearted before His throne, and in obedience you submitted to His sovereign authority by accomplishing His WILL. What I’m trying to say is that when man prays, he is not changing God’s mind. Instead, in reverence, he is tuning his wants, his desires, and his plans, to God’s. And when we do that, we enjoy wonderful communion and fellowship with Him.
Now, you might be wondering, “But if I hadn’t prayed, would this person still have died?” I think not. God’s gonna do what He’s gonna do. It’s up to us to submit to His will. If, instead of choosing to obey God, you decided not to do as God asked, God would have found another willing servant through whom His will would have been accomplished. But just think about what you would have missed! If you had not tuned your will with God’s, you would have missed out on an incredible experience. Instead of being the instrument through whom God accomplished His plans, you would have taken a seat in the bleachers; as you watched God accomplish his will through another willing servant.
Remember, we serve God (Ephesians 6:5-9)! He does not serve us, nor are we His master! The master does not serve the servant; rather, the servant serves the master. And as the servant, he must constantly submit his will to that of his master’s. When the master does not get what he wants from one servant, he will get another willing servant to fulfill the duty. An example of what the master/servant relationship looks like is seen in a parable Jesus tells in Luke 20:9-12.
In the same way, we serve God. God does not sit on His throne while His people are praying and say, “I have a royal change of mind! Scratch my old plan; I think we should make another.” If there was room for this in God’s nature then Jesus could have decided at last minute that He would not go to the cross. Even though Christ, as a man, possessed temptability,(Matthew 26:36-46), he could not sin. God is love (1 John 4:8), but if God can change His mind then His love is subject to change. He might love you one day and hate you the next. But we know that God’s love is unconditional. You see? To claim that God changes His mind makes every other character trait and attribute we know of God to be subject to change. As I said in my original post, a perfect God cannot make a bad plan. That would mean He is imperfect. And if God is imperfect then why should we believe anything else God says, because it could be subject to change? God is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Thank you so much for your insightful comment Carl! I truly hope this is helpful :)
In Christ,
Josh
Carl
___________________________________________________________________
Well Carl, you bring up such an excellent question that I decided to devote an entire post to it. If God can’t change his mind, then what’s the use of praying? First of all, just let me say that prayer is a powerful mystery that I by no means can fully comprehend, but as I’ve heard Andy Stanley say, in our culture we want a backpack god. We want a god we can carry around and pull out when times get rough or when we think we need him in our lives. In other words, we want a god we can control. But that’s not how God operates; yet that is exactly what is so wonderful about our God!!! He does not operate by the ways of man! No! God is infinite, outside of time and space. Instead of trying to control God through our prayers, we should humbly submit all our hopes and dreams, all our wants and desires before His throne and allow Him to control our lives! We pray because we do not know the mind of God. And because we don’t know the mind of God, we have to plead with God that He might reveal His will so that we might understand His plans. Revelation, according to Dr. Elmer Towns, is “The act whereby God gives us knowledge about Himself which we could not otherwise know.” Thus, when we pray, we are asking God to share new information with us that, apart from His divine intervention, we would never know; we are asking Him to reveal His will to us.
I agree that prayer is a powerful thing, and that God responds to our prayers. However, this goes back to our view of how God responds to us when we pray. When we pray, it’s important to remember that our prayers don’t alter what God has determined in His Sovereignty. Rather it is man, through the process of much prayer and study, who changes his mind and decides to do God’s will (Exodus 3-4). Thus, prayer does not change God, though sometimes it may seem as though it does; man changes. Man is the one who alters His course to accomplish the will of God. For example, when we repent of our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness, God doesn’t change, man does. Other times, it appears as though God has changed His mind when He is really showing His mercy; such as in Jonah 3 and Exodus 32. Still other times we pray because we don’t know what God’s will is in certain situations!
I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that someone you know has just been diagnosed with cancer. The doctors say that this individual only has a few weeks left to live. In response to this, you ask members of your church to gather together to pray that God would preserve this person’s life. A week later, the person diagnosed with cancer goes back for surgery. But when the doctor goes in to perform the surgery, he discovers that all the cancer has disappeared.
It seems as though God changed His plans because of your prayers and decided to let this person live. But consider this; it was you who chose to beseech God that this person might live. God knew you would come before Him and ask that He preserve this person’s life. It was God’s WILL that you come broken hearted before His throne, and in obedience you submitted to His sovereign authority by accomplishing His WILL. What I’m trying to say is that when man prays, he is not changing God’s mind. Instead, in reverence, he is tuning his wants, his desires, and his plans, to God’s. And when we do that, we enjoy wonderful communion and fellowship with Him.
Now, you might be wondering, “But if I hadn’t prayed, would this person still have died?” I think not. God’s gonna do what He’s gonna do. It’s up to us to submit to His will. If, instead of choosing to obey God, you decided not to do as God asked, God would have found another willing servant through whom His will would have been accomplished. But just think about what you would have missed! If you had not tuned your will with God’s, you would have missed out on an incredible experience. Instead of being the instrument through whom God accomplished His plans, you would have taken a seat in the bleachers; as you watched God accomplish his will through another willing servant.
Remember, we serve God (Ephesians 6:5-9)! He does not serve us, nor are we His master! The master does not serve the servant; rather, the servant serves the master. And as the servant, he must constantly submit his will to that of his master’s. When the master does not get what he wants from one servant, he will get another willing servant to fulfill the duty. An example of what the master/servant relationship looks like is seen in a parable Jesus tells in Luke 20:9-12.
In the same way, we serve God. God does not sit on His throne while His people are praying and say, “I have a royal change of mind! Scratch my old plan; I think we should make another.” If there was room for this in God’s nature then Jesus could have decided at last minute that He would not go to the cross. Even though Christ, as a man, possessed temptability,(Matthew 26:36-46), he could not sin. God is love (1 John 4:8), but if God can change His mind then His love is subject to change. He might love you one day and hate you the next. But we know that God’s love is unconditional. You see? To claim that God changes His mind makes every other character trait and attribute we know of God to be subject to change. As I said in my original post, a perfect God cannot make a bad plan. That would mean He is imperfect. And if God is imperfect then why should we believe anything else God says, because it could be subject to change? God is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Thank you so much for your insightful comment Carl! I truly hope this is helpful :)
In Christ,
Josh
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Immutability of God
Over the past eight weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to write a number of papers on several theological issues, thanks to a theology class I am taking through Liberty University. All the papers I have written for this class are critiques of other men’s work. One particular paper I was pleased to write asked for my opinion of Openness Theology (a theology which argues that God, even though knowing the future, remains flexible and willing to change his plans based on man’s reaction). What we believe about God depends upon our ability to exegete the Scriptures properly and our ability to apply good hermeneutics (Science of Biblical interpretation) while reading Scripture. The immutability of God is a major theological issue in our self-centered humanistic culture; a culture which wants a God that can be molded and changed to fit its agenda. And so, here is what I believe about Old Testament Hermeneutics and the immutability of God.
Sadly, it is true that many, if not most, do not know how to apply hermeneutics to Old Testament texts. Seminaries across the country teach students how to exegete New Testament texts, while practically ignoring the Old Testament. Indeed, many believe that the Old Testament (with the exception of Psalms and Proverbs) is practically useless to the Christian faith for the simple reason that we are now under the law of grace (Rom. 6:14). However, Christ did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). Therefore, as Christians, we are bound to adhere to those Old Testament doctrines which remain applicable under the law of grace (e.g. sacrificing is no longer applicable). Without the Old Testament, we would not be aware of the nature of God, man, and the cosmos, nor could we see God’s faithfulness in preserving the messianic line through thousands of years of world history. Truly, without the Old Testament most of what we know about the nature of God would be unknown to us today, including his immutability.
I am a firm believer in the immutability of God. To deny His immutability is to deny so much of the nature and character of God. God is perfect (Matt. 5:48, Ps. 119:96), and how can a perfect God change His mind? God is also sovereign, and how can a sovereign God change His mind? To do so implies that at some point He was not perfect or sovereign (Acts 4:24, 1Tim. 6:15-16, Rev. 16:20), at some point He did not know which direction history was going, at some point He did not possess omniscience, omnipresence, or omnipotence. How can we trust God’s prophecies if they are subject to change? If God is not immutable, than how can he be immortal (1 Tim. 1:17)? How can an infinite God (Rev. 1:8, Gen. 1:1), who is not limited by time or space, not know the future?
Some claim that those who reject Openness Theology reject it solely on philosophical grounds. This, however, is simply not true. Personally, I reject openness for two major reasons.
1) It is Contrary to the Nature and Character of God (as stated above).
2) It is a Misinterpretation of the Texts.
Open Theologians base their arguments on such passages as 1 Samuel 15, Jeremiah 18, Genesis 6:6, and Exodus 32; they claim that in each of these cases God changed His mind. Though compelling and filled with helpful insight into the text, the conclusion of these arguments is wrong. For example, in Genesis 6:6, the Scriptures say, “God repented that he made man on the earth...” In this case an anthropomorphism is used to describe God; the root word niham or nakham meaning “sigh, feel sorry for (grieved).” In other words, God was “grieved” over the wickedness in His Creation. He was not implying that He made a mistake in creating man.
But there remain still two more reasons why I reject Openness Theology.
1) Our God is a Merciful God (Dt. 4:31).
When Moses interceded on behalf of Israel because of their idolatry (Exodus 32), it appears at first glance as though Moses changed God’s mind. However, when proper hermeneutics is applied, one realizes that it is recorded in Numbers 14 that the entire idolatrous generation of Israelites passed away in the wilderness. Therefore, when Moses prayed, he didn’t change God’s mind; God showed His mercy and withheld his impending judgment until later.
2) Our God Does not Change; man Changes.
Oftentimes, God acts based on man’s reaction to Him (Exodus 32). By way of illustration, if you repent of a sin you have committed, God will always honor that repentance by granting forgiveness. However, this does not mean God’s will is subject to man, for God is the supreme ruler over all creation; He is subject to no one (Col. 2:10, Eph. 1:19-23, Ps. 22:28). What this does mean, is that God does not change, rather, it is man who changes (as in repentance).
Another example of this is seen in Jonah chapter three. Upon arriving in Ninevah, after taking a roundabout trip ;-) Jonah relays God’s message to the people of Ninevah, asking them to repent of their sin lest they be destroyed. In response, the King of Nineveh says in verse nine, “Who knows? He may turn, and God may repent and turn away from the glow of His anger, that we do not perish.” The word repent here is again translated from Nakham which means to sigh, be sorry, pity, or console. God did not “change His mind” about the judgment of Nineveh, in fact, in 612 B.C., Nineveh was destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians. He showed them mercy because the Ninevites pleaded for God’s forgiveness.
The point I’m driving at is this: God does not change; man changes! In both the passages in Exodus and Jonah, man repented from his wicked ways and God accepted his repentance and showed mercy by temporarily withholding His judgment.
The people of our culture desire to worship a God they can control, a God who is subject to their desires; we want to worship a God who does not judge our wrong doings, a God who wants us to be happy and will thus satisfy all our desires even if it means changing His mind to accommodate our wishes. Oh how deceived we have been! God has set forth a plan for our lives which we can choose to accept or choose to reject. God ultimately knows what each of our decisions will be. Sometimes we make decisions that align with His will, other times we rebel and walk down our own self-indulgent paths. Therefore, the only way for us to follow the path God has set for us is to remain in good communion and fellowship with Him. We should be enjoying such wonderful communion and fellowship with our precious Shepherd that we know what he feels like, smells like, and sounds like! We should be in such an intimate relationship with God that when we hear His voice we run into His arms!
Just remember, God is in complete control. He always knows what the future holds; nothing catches Him by surprise. To claim that God changes His mind implies that God’s initial plan was bad and He decided to make another. That is unbiblical! God’s ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30). A perfect God can’t make a mistake leading to a change of mind. We, on the other hand, will never be perfect; our relationship with God will never be to the full potential it could be. But it should be our goal to draw as near to our Heavenly Father as we possibly can, so that when God calls, we will be ready to respond in obedience to His sovereign plan.
So, what do you think? Based on scripture, is it possible for God to change His mind?
Josh
Sadly, it is true that many, if not most, do not know how to apply hermeneutics to Old Testament texts. Seminaries across the country teach students how to exegete New Testament texts, while practically ignoring the Old Testament. Indeed, many believe that the Old Testament (with the exception of Psalms and Proverbs) is practically useless to the Christian faith for the simple reason that we are now under the law of grace (Rom. 6:14). However, Christ did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). Therefore, as Christians, we are bound to adhere to those Old Testament doctrines which remain applicable under the law of grace (e.g. sacrificing is no longer applicable). Without the Old Testament, we would not be aware of the nature of God, man, and the cosmos, nor could we see God’s faithfulness in preserving the messianic line through thousands of years of world history. Truly, without the Old Testament most of what we know about the nature of God would be unknown to us today, including his immutability.
I am a firm believer in the immutability of God. To deny His immutability is to deny so much of the nature and character of God. God is perfect (Matt. 5:48, Ps. 119:96), and how can a perfect God change His mind? God is also sovereign, and how can a sovereign God change His mind? To do so implies that at some point He was not perfect or sovereign (Acts 4:24, 1Tim. 6:15-16, Rev. 16:20), at some point He did not know which direction history was going, at some point He did not possess omniscience, omnipresence, or omnipotence. How can we trust God’s prophecies if they are subject to change? If God is not immutable, than how can he be immortal (1 Tim. 1:17)? How can an infinite God (Rev. 1:8, Gen. 1:1), who is not limited by time or space, not know the future?
Some claim that those who reject Openness Theology reject it solely on philosophical grounds. This, however, is simply not true. Personally, I reject openness for two major reasons.
1) It is Contrary to the Nature and Character of God (as stated above).
2) It is a Misinterpretation of the Texts.
Open Theologians base their arguments on such passages as 1 Samuel 15, Jeremiah 18, Genesis 6:6, and Exodus 32; they claim that in each of these cases God changed His mind. Though compelling and filled with helpful insight into the text, the conclusion of these arguments is wrong. For example, in Genesis 6:6, the Scriptures say, “God repented that he made man on the earth...” In this case an anthropomorphism is used to describe God; the root word niham or nakham meaning “sigh, feel sorry for (grieved).” In other words, God was “grieved” over the wickedness in His Creation. He was not implying that He made a mistake in creating man.
But there remain still two more reasons why I reject Openness Theology.
1) Our God is a Merciful God (Dt. 4:31).
When Moses interceded on behalf of Israel because of their idolatry (Exodus 32), it appears at first glance as though Moses changed God’s mind. However, when proper hermeneutics is applied, one realizes that it is recorded in Numbers 14 that the entire idolatrous generation of Israelites passed away in the wilderness. Therefore, when Moses prayed, he didn’t change God’s mind; God showed His mercy and withheld his impending judgment until later.
2) Our God Does not Change; man Changes.
Oftentimes, God acts based on man’s reaction to Him (Exodus 32). By way of illustration, if you repent of a sin you have committed, God will always honor that repentance by granting forgiveness. However, this does not mean God’s will is subject to man, for God is the supreme ruler over all creation; He is subject to no one (Col. 2:10, Eph. 1:19-23, Ps. 22:28). What this does mean, is that God does not change, rather, it is man who changes (as in repentance).
Another example of this is seen in Jonah chapter three. Upon arriving in Ninevah, after taking a roundabout trip ;-) Jonah relays God’s message to the people of Ninevah, asking them to repent of their sin lest they be destroyed. In response, the King of Nineveh says in verse nine, “Who knows? He may turn, and God may repent and turn away from the glow of His anger, that we do not perish.” The word repent here is again translated from Nakham which means to sigh, be sorry, pity, or console. God did not “change His mind” about the judgment of Nineveh, in fact, in 612 B.C., Nineveh was destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians. He showed them mercy because the Ninevites pleaded for God’s forgiveness.
The point I’m driving at is this: God does not change; man changes! In both the passages in Exodus and Jonah, man repented from his wicked ways and God accepted his repentance and showed mercy by temporarily withholding His judgment.
The people of our culture desire to worship a God they can control, a God who is subject to their desires; we want to worship a God who does not judge our wrong doings, a God who wants us to be happy and will thus satisfy all our desires even if it means changing His mind to accommodate our wishes. Oh how deceived we have been! God has set forth a plan for our lives which we can choose to accept or choose to reject. God ultimately knows what each of our decisions will be. Sometimes we make decisions that align with His will, other times we rebel and walk down our own self-indulgent paths. Therefore, the only way for us to follow the path God has set for us is to remain in good communion and fellowship with Him. We should be enjoying such wonderful communion and fellowship with our precious Shepherd that we know what he feels like, smells like, and sounds like! We should be in such an intimate relationship with God that when we hear His voice we run into His arms!
Just remember, God is in complete control. He always knows what the future holds; nothing catches Him by surprise. To claim that God changes His mind implies that God’s initial plan was bad and He decided to make another. That is unbiblical! God’s ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30). A perfect God can’t make a mistake leading to a change of mind. We, on the other hand, will never be perfect; our relationship with God will never be to the full potential it could be. But it should be our goal to draw as near to our Heavenly Father as we possibly can, so that when God calls, we will be ready to respond in obedience to His sovereign plan.
So, what do you think? Based on scripture, is it possible for God to change His mind?
Josh
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