Andrew M. Connally
It is man’s nature to seek self-justification at the expense of all others, even God. Man has an infinite capacity to deceive himself regarding his own actions, the nature of God and God’s revealed Will.
The Sin of Deception Is Ancient
From the garden of Eden, the deceitfulness of sin and self-deception are evident. When the serpent tempted Eve, he was very subtle, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden, we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Gen. 3:1-3). Surely nothing could be plainer than these simple instructions! There was no controversy over their meaning, they were too plain to be misunderstood; yet Satan lied and the woman allowed herself to be deceived.
And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then shall your eyes be opened and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof and did eat: and she gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat (Gen. 3:4-6).
And so, “Sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Most of us are painfully aware of the tragic consequences of this sinful deception.
Balaam, who loved the hire of wrong doing (Jude 11), thought also that he could bargain with the Lord of destinies and make Him a god of convenience. Man has been doing the same ever since.
God Is Immutable
“For I, Jehovah, change not” (Mal. 3:6). The unchangeableness of Jehovah is hard for fickle man to comprehend. Man is in constant flux. So often he is as a child, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men in craftiness, after the wiles of error” (Eph. 4:14). “Man’s heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt” (Jer. 17:9). He is constantly seeking to mock God by his actions and thoughts. Yet, God has made it abundantly clear, with whom “can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by his turning” (Jam. 1:17). And again, “God is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent” (Num. 23:19).
God’s Will Is Only The Reflection Of His Immutable Nature
God speaks only in harmony with His immutable nature; hence His Will is an immutable decree. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Mat. 24:35). The reason is that the words of God and Christ reflect the immutable nature of God Himself.
Jesus said, “Ye therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mat. 5:48). Again He said, “But like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). And finally, “And everyone that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). This “perfection,” “purity,” and “holiness” demanded by God of His people is clearly the reflection of His own divine immutable nature. This becomes our standard and thus God’s Will for all men who desire to be saved.
God’s Will Cannot Be Modified By Man’s Condition
God can act only in harmony with His divine immutable nature. Therefore, God could not change His Will regardless of anything or anybody! Nothing in heaven or on earth could cause one jot or one tittle to be changed of God’s immutable decree. It would be easier for man to flatten every mountain, fill every valley, dry up every sea, snatch down every star, and quench the shining of the sun than to change a single law of God or reverse a moral pronouncement of His.
All Men Everywhere Are Commanded to Repent
Paul states, “The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained” (Acts 17:30-31). This is a universal command given to “all men everywhere” to repent because judgment is coming! The Athenians were guilty of idolatry (Acts 17:23-24). The Corinthians were guilty of immorality (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The Pentecostians were guilty of murder (Acts 2:23). The Gentile world was guilty of gross impurity (Rom. 1:18-28). And the Jews were guilty of a zeal for God but not according to knowledge (Rom. 10:1-3). Therefore, they, like all sinners, were commanded to “repent or perish.”
Surely there were “mitigating circumstances” in some of their lives. Surely some of them were “sincerely wrong.” Surely “in good faith” some had been led into their error. Perhaps some were “doing the best they knew how.” Perhaps others “were trying hard.” And on and on the excuses could go. But God’s Will has never changed because of man’s moral (or immoral) condition.
The Demands of the Gospel
It is true that the Gospel and obedience to it may break up families, destroy friendships, separate husbands and wives, alienate children, cost us mothers and fathers, and cause us to give up our jobs. This has always been so, for Jesus said, “Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword…and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household…and he that doth not take his cross, and follow after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Mat. 10:34-39).
After all the excuses have been offered and after all the problems have been presented to justify man in his sin, the God of all the universe still says, “For I, Jehovah, change not,” and “the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). May God help us all to appreciate, accept and always contend for His immutable law which reflects His immutable nature that will always punish sin and exalt righteousness.
