“NO CHANGE IN NATURE”

19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

Matthew 15:19 

Some people are trying to downplay the importance of Scripture in our modern life, saying we should adopt the world's "advanced" thinking and "progressive" way of life. But I'd argue that some things are already wrong, to begin with.

In our previous blog, we said that regardless of time and culture, God's word remains our ultimate source of spiritual strength.

In this series, I will provide three reasons why I think the Bible is as relevant now as it was when it was written.

Here’s reason number one:

Human nature hasn’t changed.

I am thankful for the convenience and comfort of living in our generation. As someone working overseas, I appreciate the ability to communicate with my family living in the Philippines as often as I want. Thanks to social media and other formats, I can talk to my loved ones in real time, with virtually zero latency. When I think about my phone and the things it can do, I praise God for it.

But all the ease and practicality of modern technology do not take away our true nature. We still experience loneliness, frustration, and dissatisfaction. We yearn for something more. This is very true for anyone who suffers from homesickness, especially during the holidays. As it appears, our deepest longings are found deep within our hearts. While missing family is a good thing, other things residing in our souls reveal our true nature as fallen beings.

When we look at the problems of today’s world and that of biblical times—greed, abuse, adultery, and murder—we can see that the problem goes deeper than mere technology, culture, or tradition. The problem lies in the innermost parts of our being.

Let’s talk about our verse of the day. Jesus, speaking about what defiles a person, reveals that the issue has nothing to do with what a man eats but with what’s in his heart. While the religious leaders of Israel were careful in observing their traditions, including hand-washing, their hearts remained impure. In fact, they were merciless towards others. They laid upon others burdens they themselves could not carry.

In the same way, the human heart remains the home of our biggest problems. Even the most spiritual among us are not excused from these complications. We can still have evil thoughts, cheat, lust over people or things; we can still lie, steal—you name it. I’d argue that none of us can claim absolute innocence of these things.

The Bible remains relevant today because it reveals what is really in our hearts. It shows us how we fail to live the kind of life that God demands. In fact, if we take Scripture away, we have no clear basis for right and wrong. Can you imagine living in a world without moral absolutes, where people do as they please? It would be chaos and anarchy!

Therefore, we still need the Bible if we want to know our true selves and have a real chance of living a peaceful and purposeful life.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Aral Tasher on Unsplash