Jesus doesn’t change—his gospel doesn’t change either. Since Jesus will remain who he is in 2022, his gospel will remain what it is in 2022. Therefore, do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings on racism like critical race theory, and do not be led away strange and diverse teachings on sexuality like LGBTQ ideology. Our culture will probably change for the worse again in 2022, but Jesus won’t change. So stand firm. Do not neglect to do good.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Who he was in 2020 is who he is in 2021, and who he is in 2021 is who he’ll be in 2022.
New year, same God.
So don’t be anxious. Don’t be afraid.
The year won’t be the same. The world won’t be the same. People won’t be the same. But praise God, Jesus will be the same.
God doesn’t change. That is probably the greatest promise in the Bible. Everything we believe about God and the gospel hinges on that. Since God doesn’t change, his promises do not change either.
Many of us, however, do not reflect on this.
The reason why we can trust that God is still sovereign—the reason why we can trust that God will still be in complete control of every atom in the universe and every action in this world in 2022 is because he doesn’t change.
What I’m describing is called the immutability of God. It means God’s essence and attributes, his plans and promises—are unchanging. God does not and cannot change.
Who God is in eternity past is who he’ll be in eternity future. Who God is at the last seconds of this year is who he’ll be at the first seconds of next year. Time doesn’t change God, God changes time.
It’s impossible for God to change. Otherwise he wouldn’t be God. Change exists within time, but God exists outside of time. After all, God created time.
Since God doesn’t change, we can that he is faithful. Since Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever—we can trust him yesterday, today, and forever.
This is why the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” starts with:
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.”
Read More

Jesus is greater than all human priests. The author calls Him a “great” priest because He did not bring a foreign sacrifice to God, but instead offered Himself. “Once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26). Only absolute purity would do. Only sinless flesh could satisfy God’s justice and mediate for sinners. As High Priest, Christ entered the holy place not made with hands to offer one sacrifice, one time, for all people. As a result, 

He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:15-16). 
Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22).
Is it inconsistent for the Bible to teach that God dwells in “unapproachable light” while at the same time exhort us to approach Him? If God dwells in the white-hot light of His holiness, how can sinners like you and I ever hope to take even one baby step toward Him? If God is so pure, so completely undefiled, so sharply separate from sin, how can we approach Him? Indeed, He is unapproachable.
Yet, the author of Hebrews strongly encourages us to not only approach God, but to do so with confidence. How can this be? Is this not contradictory? It would be if it were not for two words, “since” and “since.”
Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh (Heb 10:19-20).
The first reason why it is possible to approach the unapproachable God is because Jesus paved the way to God with His blood. He tiled a “newly slain way” into God’s presence. How did He do this? “Through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Through suffering and death, Jesus opened the door to God.
Read More

We proclaim Christ because He called us out of darkness into marvelous light. Speaking of Christ should not be a chore because we are giving the good news to those who are still in darkness. If you have been brought by Christ out of darkness, you are then a new person with a new identity, but with that identity comes the need to proclaim Christ. May we never cease proclaim His excellencies throughout the duration of our exile.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV

Peter’s first epistle is filled with hope to a persecuted people. Throughout the letter, the apostle makes references to the condition of the believers’ lives, comparing their lives in this world to the Israelites in the Babylonian exile. He calls them exiles and sojourners, saying that they are of the Dispersion, which is another term for Israel’s exile. It is very clear that these Christians no longer belong to the culture around them. They feel as though they are strangers and foreigners, even though they are living in the cities of their youth.
Peter explains why in this verse. Christians are supposed to feel strange within the culture around them because we are foreigners. As followers of Christ, we are a new people group, a nation within the nations. Our primary identity is no longer our homeland nor our ethnicity; it is our being in Christ.
Read More
Related Posts: