November 23 Daily Devotional

Accepting an ‘old gospel’ in a modern world (ii)
(continued from November 22)

Our second reason for [presenting modern man with the ancient gospel of Jesus Christ] is infinitely more important. God hasn’t changed! And it is when we realize ... that man’s ultimate problem is his relationship to God, that we see the final futility of introducing this question of age and of dates .... Someone has well put this point by saying, ‘Time writes no wrinkle on the brow of the Eternal’. Of course there have been advances and developments, but do these in any way affect the being and the character of God? Does the fact that we have an internal combustion engine, and that we have succeeded in splitting the atom, in any way abrogate God’s laws or in any way lessen His detestation of sin and wrongdoing? No, the most urgent, vital question confronting man is still the question asked of old by Job, ‘How should man be just with God?’ (Job 9:2). Certainly there is a new setting to problems, whether they are economic, political or educational; whether they deal with the shortage of houses or the proper treatment of strikes. But all these problems are temporary....

The ultimate problem for man is not himself, his happiness, nor the conditions which surround him while he is here on earth. His ultimate problem is his relationship to God both in time and eternity; and God is eternal, changeless, absolute. How foolish it is, therefore, to argue that modern man needs a new remedy or a new type of salvation rather than ‘the glorious gospel of the blessed God’ (1 Timothy 1:11) which is to be found alone in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 112–14

(continued on November 24)