No Improvements Ever Needed!

Question: Why are calendars becoming obsolete? Answer: Because their days are numbered.” Obsolescence is defined as “no longer produced or used; out of date.” Packages of perishable food and other things are stamped with the words “Use by” or “Best if used by” followed by a date. Of course, the most common way for a product to become obsolete is for it to be replaced by something marketers frequently claim is “new and improved.” The truth is many products humans dream up and produce will wear out and be improved as time goes on! From cars to clothes to computers, stuff wears out and advances are made, making obsolescence practically unavoidable.                      

 But not God or His Son Jesus Christ or the Bible! They endure and are never out of date! That’s why they continue to be so compelling today. In a world where everything we see, wear, eat, and drive is temporary and perishable (including our physical lives and bodies — 2 Corinthians 4:16-18), God and Jesus and their Gospel go on and on and on! Today’s critics and skeptics and foes of God loudly claim that He and His Son are out of date with the modern, technological 21st world. To those foes and          critics and claims, Bernard Ramm made this insightful response about the durability of the Bible (and God and His Son): “A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow, the corpse never stays put. No other Book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized and vilified ... the Bible is still loved by millions and studied by millions.” In addition to “out-of-the-closet” foes, many who claim to respect the Bible swallow the shallow charge that the Gospel is “irrelevant” and isn’t addressing the needs and problems we face today. So they adjust its message and add on some “apps” to make it “more relevant” for worldly culture today and announce a “new normal.” Others seek to bend or amend the truth of the Gospel to fit their own religious beliefs and practices. Admittedly, research, education and technology have made us people smarter and even improved life in many ways, but the evidence is in that technology has not and cannot make people morally and spiritually better. Sin still saturates human society. Immorality is perennially pandemic. The death rate is still 100%. The Gospel always has been and always will be the only thing known to mankind that addresses those issues, forgiveness of sins, enablement to live in a holy way, and hope in the face of inevitable death. We don’t have space to examine the context, but the inspired words of Galatians 1:7b-9 send a sobering threat to anyone who would dare to tamper with the Gospel as God gave it — “... there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” My friends, those jarring words make this truth clear — the Gospel as God gave it never needs any add-ons, App’s, updates or improvements. Those who dare tamper with it do so at the risk of their souls. You could never improve the Bible, but its inspired teachings can improve you. Will you think about it?         

                          “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” — Hebrews 13:8 

       by: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN