Church of God News

Charles Knowlton | Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Paul Harvey once told a story about a tough lumberjack who went to town one weekend, fell in with a religious group, and was baptized. He went back to the lumber camp–much to the concern of his preacher, who worried that others would make fun of him. When he went back to town the preacher asked him how it went. He said, “They never caught on.”

Contrary to this lumberjack’s story, being baptized and growing as a Christian must involve change and overcoming. The problem is that religion means different things to different people. To most, it is little more than their name on the church roll, a superficial religious association necessary to maintain social ties and some peace of mind. Even if they do not attend regularly—some just once or twice a year—“membership” gives a feeling of belonging and a sense of security. Yet it is a false sense of security.

At another extreme are the “religious hobbyists” who move from church to church, constantly studying and learning “new things” and always on the hunt for the church that has beliefs closest to their own. Always “studying” according to their interests, they often take offense at the idea of being “taught” by a church that might understand more truth than they do. In fact, they are not shy about preaching to the preachers, and feel they are heaven-bound for their efforts.

Some families set down a strict rule that religion and politics must never be discussed at family gatherings, in order to prevent pleasant family reunions from turning into heated arguments, with animated participants fervently trying to convert their family members over to their way of thinking.

But where is the truth in all of this? Consider John 17:17: “Your word is truth.” Not surprisingly, many like to use the Bible to try to prove their points. It is common to see people “pick and choose” those parts of the Bible that seem to support their ideas, while ignoring other parts that, if honestly examined, would prove them wrong. Even beyond “pick and choose,” however, we see that some are willing to change the Bible to suit their preconceptions. Just take a look at modern English-language Bibles. From “dumbing down” to denying gender to shading potentially “offensive” passages, translations in many cases seem to be growing worse and worse.

Change, however, has its place. But instead of changing the Bible to meet our expectations, we need to be willing to change ourselves to conform to God’s word! God has a plan that involves every human being, and that provides both a way to change and evidence of the benefits that come from changing!

The Apostle Paul came face to face with the need for change. He recognized his need to struggle against his human nature. Paul explains in Scripture that he often did what he did not want to do, and failed to do what he knew he should (Romans 7:15-24). He asked, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (v. 24).

Thankfully, in verse 25, Paul answered that question: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” For those who want to argue, the Bible is an inexhaustible source of arguments. But for those who want to change, it is a road-map to freedom and peace.

To learn more, read our articles, “Are You Willing to Change?” and “Can You Really Change Your Life?”