Q: Is Christian teaching something
that is always developing and evolving or must it remain the same from age to
age?
The most direct answer to this
question is that Christian doctrine cannot and must not change. Since God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James
1:17, etc.), the truth which He has established and His will for humanity are
also without change.
This is not to say that new
generations of Christians do not face challenges unfamiliar to those who have
gone before them, or that the Bible is not a valid guide in such matters. Even though the truth can never change, it
may be applied in new ways in response to new ethical questions.
For example, topics like genetic
engineering, human cloning, and embryonic stem cell research are brand new issues
for Christians today that were not faced by former generations, but the
Scripture still informs Christian responses and actions as they address new
questions. While Christian doctrine
never changes, it is constantly applied to new circumstances and ethical
questions.
Likewise, the language and
illustrations which Christians use adapts over time in order to best
communicate the message of Jesus in present circumstances. For example, the Apostles make use of a wide
variety of language to describe the work accomplished by Jesus. While that truth is singular, the Church has
emphasized some of these descriptions more in some periods of history, and
others in another period of history because it finds a greater resonance with
the people of that culture.
So, while the truth about Jesus
remains the same from generation to generation, the Church may draw more or
less from the various portions of Scripture to proclaim this truth in different
generations, and it may apply this same truth to new questions while remaining
in harmony with what has been taught before.
At the same time, we can look back at
history and see where Christian teaching has gone astray and was in need of
correction. The events of the
Reformation nearly 500 years ago are an example of this. The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church
had departed from truth, and men like Martin Luther and John Calvin called
church leaders to correct these abuses while teaching the public the truth
which had been obscured.
An important thing to note about this
Reformation, though, is that it did not seek to teach anything new, but rather
to return the Church to the truth that it had left behind. This is the case with all valid reformations
in the Church.
It has been said that “The Church is
always reforming” or “The Church is always in need of reformation.” While this is true, it has often been
misunderstood. This saying does not mean
that Christian doctrine develops and evolves over time, but rather that because
the people and leaders of the Church are sinners, someone is constantly trying
to adapt truth to match their opinion rather than conforming their opinion to
the truth.
As a result, reformers are constantly
arising to call the Church back to what is true. Today it is often being said that “God is
doing a new thing,” or “The Spirit is moving us in a new direction,” or even
“God is still speaking,” but these slogans are not examples of true reform if
they contradict or abandon established truth.
Even the definition of the word
“reform” itself indicates going back or returning what has gone before, and not
progress toward something new, and so it is that Reformation is the continual
calling of the Church to repent of its doctrinal innovations and return to the
truth.
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