A Diety Can Change His Mind, Can’t He?
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” —1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
One thing is for certain in Christianity–we all sin. We know we can’t be perfect, and now that we have Christ, we don’t have to be. Reading through the Old Testament is painful. Your soul actually begins to hurt. God lays down the law, we fail, we are punished, wash, rinse, repeat.
We also know that God is infallible. So here’s the issue. Just because God is infallible, doesn’t mean He can’t change His mind. If you don’t believe this is true, just check out his reaction to his decision to make Saul a king of Israel. He regrets his own choice. This can be found in 1 Samuel 15:11. He also sends a vision to Peter at Joppa in Acts 10 allowing him to not only eat whatever he wants, violating previous Hebrew Law, but to go forward and bring gentiles into the Christian mix. There are many more examples.
While God is infallible, he certainly does change his mind. This is a God who once destroyed entire cities and flooded the world because we couldn’t get our crap together. And then, what does He do for an encore, He sends his only Son to be tortured and murdered to save us from ourselves. To free us from death and sin. We can live forever in perfect harmony in Heaven because, well, God changed his mind about how to deal with us. It’s a mystery we may never understand.
But, for us parents, we kind of can understand. How many times have you threatened a harsh punishment only to give the child a way out not twenty minutes later. No, little Johnny, you won’t be going to the amusement park with your friends after that stunt you pulled. Flash forward–okay, if you clean your room you can go. Minds can change, especially when love is involved. God is a parent too. A parent to us all. And the love He feels for us is unconditional, and therefore, despite not deserving it at all, despite failing Him time and again, God forgives us. He gives us the greatest gift of all. Jesus Christ. Amazing.
God, while infallible, changes his mind.
The implications are endless. So often the Old Testament is paraphrased to justify hatred of all kinds of people. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we are all God’s children. We are all loved unconditionally. Jesus came for all of us–even you, sinner. If he came for tax-collectors and sinners, for prostitutes and those possessed by demons, most surely he was sent for homosexuals, liberals, woman who use contraceptives, and everyone else for that matter. We’re all invited to the table. God cannot be used to justify hate. His love is unending–for all. Yes, God changed His mind.
Now it’s your turn.
God bless!
The Road to Damascus 