Salvation involves change. Any man in Christ is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:18). Then he keeps changing all through the rest of his life to conform to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). Change starts with scripture and then will petition counsel. The one changing announces the change.
At home, if a dad changes the rules, he announces that. The children don’t find out after they violated this thing they didn’t know. Anyone who changes his beliefs should tell people that he changed.
Changes in Professing Christianity
When you look at Christianity in general today and compare it to what it was one to two hundred years ago, it changed. In fact, many and radical changes occurred. In general, it changed gradually, but belief and practice looked starkly different then than it does now. It is markedly different in numbers of ways. These gradual changes very often go undeclared. They just happen. As a whole, churches are more tolerant of divergent belief and practice, as well as vast cultural differences in realms of quite objective criteria churches once dogmatically held.
I believe that most of professing Christianity today expects everyone to act like nothing has changed in it. In other words, this very different Christianity really is what it always has been, even though it isn’t. If your church believes and practices closer to something from the past, professing Christianity now says that is what’s different.
The different is “the same” and the same is “different.” By what you would witness in a contemporary or modern church, you would get a totally different impression of who God is. You’ve heard the expression, turning over in their graves? Christians from one to two hundred years ago would do that, if they saw what professes to be Christianity today.
Patience Before the Announcement of Change Comes
Someone doesn’t need to announce or declare the change in belief before the end of the steps in the process. Just because he hasn’t declared yet doesn’t mean it won’t happen. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 commands believers, “Be patient with all men.”
Just for a moment, I want to address this aspect. If you had a belief for a long time, it is serious that you’re changing. I respect the thinking that it might take awhile to cement the change. You need time to study, cogitate, meditate, mull, and finalize.
Through my lifetime, I changed interpretations on passages many, many times and actual beliefs in the double figures. I do not know how I could not have done that. This means I did not ever know it all. I wish I did, but very easily I did not. It is best to be as good as you can as early as possible, but everyone needs room to change. Most of my bigger changes occurred earlier, and the number of changes diminished through the years. I am still open to change, which is part of growing as a believer.
The last change for me occurred in the last five years. Steps in the process, like I am writing about here, led to that change. I have a ten or so page paper with my scriptural justification for the change, which I have not distributed. The paper preceded the change, but much study and contemplation occurred before that. Now certain key people know the change and I will announce and declare when appropriate.
Announcement or Declaration of Change
Example of Fundamentalism
When someone changes or a church changes, it should announce or declare its change. A person or a leader should not sweep that under the rug for fear of repercussions. If it is a scriptural change, there’s nothing for which to be ashamed. Talk about it. This doesn’t mean others might not disagree with the change, but if it is a change worth making, based on scripture, then it is a change worth talking about.
I have witnessed dozens of belief and practice changes in professing Christianity in my lifetime. Within my sphere of fellowship during my life, many changes occurred. As an example, fundamentalism began and grew in the twentieth century. I was once a fundamentalist and I’m not saying that was good. However, I believe that fundamentalism itself arose for good reasons and it mainly disappears today for bad reasons. The good reasons fundamentalism originated are now the reasons it seems to come to an end.
Not Announcing
All the good reasons for fundamentalism is what people most often now attack. The weaknesses of fundamentalism became more and more the main feature. Men dissipated the strengths of fundamentalism and multiplied the weaknesses. I believe it became a caricature of what it once was.
When I was a fundamentalist, I remember the strength of fundamentalism. I knew of weaknesses. When fundamentalism began to depart its strengths and hold fast to its weaknesses, those changes were not announced. They just disappeared. I listened to everything I was taught. In many cases, the leadership and institutions enforced those beliefs and practices. They expected us to believe and practice them. Then they changed in numerous ways without announcement. Then the bad thing became questioning those changes. Punishment came over questioning and it was obvious.
Reaction to Announcement
When the change occurs and people question, everyone should expect that, especially if no one knows about the change. Fundamentalism was political. The change related to using power other than the authority or power of scripture. God has more power than anyone. However other powers exist, such as seen in Ephesians 6:12, principalities and powers and rulers of darkness. Around the power points of fundamentalism, people applied pressure to capitulate on former beliefs and practice. Money was part of this, because of the pressure of meeting payrolls.
The majority of people, who say that the old belief and practice were wrong, could be right. I wouldn’t dismiss them, but what would I expect after an announcement? I would at least expect a biblical challenge or answer. People had studied the Bible and they were ready to challenge the change to keep it the same. Instead of that, pragmatism from the outside leads to changes on the inside. The idea is that it is greater to get numbers using pragmatic means, so no biblical challenge will henceforth come. Challenge comes to compromise and capitulate often with pragmatic reasoning.
So, the next step in the process of change is the announcement or declaration. I studied and prayed. It started with scripture and here it is. I’ve been wrong. We’ve been wrong. Here is why. Any questions? That’s what one should expect with biblical change.
More to Come