Does God’s Word Change With Time?

Joshua Crawford

It’s been over 70 years since the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.  Despite the passage of time, the senseless genocide of over 6 million Jews is just as evil today as it was in 1945.  In 70 more years, regardless of advancements in science or culture, Hitler’s Holocaust should still be viewed as evil, correct?  There are many things time cannot touch; God’s word is one of those.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)  Here, God obviously has absolute definitions for good and evil and they’re not interchangeable.  God’s absolute definitions for good and evil are also unchanging through the years.  Isaiah said, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)  David echoed the same thought, “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” (Psalm 119:89)  From Scripture, it’s clear when God speaks, it stands forever.  He literally wrote His Ten Commandments in stone!

Most of us agree, regardless of Hitler’s motives or circumstances, his ideas were purely evil.  Can we agree on other evils? What happens when we, as humans, decide what’s good and evil?  Adam and Eve made a decision on their own that the tree forbidden by God was “good for food.” (Genesis 3:6)  Many married men and women decide it’s good in their unique case to have an affair and commit adultery.  People lie all the time, stating the situation required it.  Is it stealing if you steal from someone richer than you, perhaps a large company?  What if someone poorer than you steals from you?  Is that still stealing?

Many have used their own intellect to negotiate what is good or evil, but God says, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:21)  Quite simply, we’re not wise enough to make up our own ideas as to what’s good and what’s evil. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)  If today we justify the evils of lying, adultery, and stealing, could we reach a point, in 70 or even 700 years, where we justify the evil of Adolf Hitler?  Let’s refuse to settle for the justifications of men, which come and go, but look to Jesus, who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:31)