I'm sitting here waiting for my operating system to do some needed
updating. My computer hardware could use some updating but that will have to
wait until I get some extra cash.
The updating craze goes beyond our computers. My youngest son borrowed
a friend’s PlayStation2 for a couple of days. He already has a number of
gaming systems going back to the original Nintendo. I've noticed that it's
getting harder and harder to find music on cassette tape and videos in VHS
format. You almost need to have a DVD player and a cd player to keep up. I
have a cd player for the house but my car still has a tape deck. I'm not very
good at keeping up technologically; I had an eight-track for a long time.
Everywhere you look and every time you turn around somebody, somewhere
has come up with a new gizmo that we must have to keep up. Everything seems
to be in a process of updating.
Now progress isn't always a bad thing. Some of the Bible translations
that have come out in the past 100 years do great justice to the original
texts and for many people are much more easily read. I've been reading the
new English Standard Version of late and so far have been very impressed with
its accuracy. I enjoy the NIV (my personal favorite) and the RSV. I'm not so
keen on some of the modern paraphrases but they do present the truth in a way
that many people will understand it. Yes, I still have and use a KJV and an
ASV so relax.
The problem comes, not with updated Bible translations but teaching and
preaching that attempt to change God to be "more relevant." Whole churches,
ministries and denominations have so corrupted the image of God in their
effort to be relevant that there isn't any God left in what they teach.
For example, many teach that God is love (which is true) but they
distort love and make Him out to be some sort of cosmic genie who doesn't
care about our sin. We can simply name and claim all our blessings or do
whatever we want without consequence.
They teach that the events of the Old Testament are not true, simply
fables or myths. Adam and Eve weren't real, just a nice story about creation.
The books of prophecy were written afterwards because everyone knows that
even God can't predict the future. They deny the miracles of the New
Testament as having happened. There is no end to their blasphemy and heresy.
God doesn't need updating to be relevant to our lives today. Our need
for Him hasn't changed; we’re still sinners who are lost and in need of a
savior. We're still not perfect people who can save ourselves. Our sins are
nothing new.
Someone might say the Bible isn't relevant because it doesn't talk of
abortion and it doesn't talk about cloning. Even though those two words
aren't mentioned in Scripture we're told not to kill and we're warned about
playing God. There isn't such a thing as a new sin.
Go ahead and update all you want with technology and toys. Search for
relevance in today's world, but remember God was relevant before time began,
He's relevant today and He'll still be relevant when the earth as we know it
passes away.
Until next time, thank God for His unchanging faithfulness, love and
forgiveness. Without them we would have no hope now or for all eternity.
Be blessed.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)!
Kevin