Upon first viewing this title, you may be thinking the cheese must have slid off my cracker since my last article, but I beg you to indulge me for a few moments. Perhaps nothing piques the interest of people who indulge mythology and folklore more than the concept of shapeshifting. It is alleged in these tales either that a mythological creature has the inherent ability to change forms or that a human or animal is transformed by the power of some deity. This makes for fun books, campfire stories, television and movies, but there is obviously no basis in reality for such thought. That is with the exception of the Mimic Octopus which can make itself appear like any number of other sea dwelling creatures and objects. If you do not believe me, just Google “shapeshifting octopus” and prepare to have your mind blown by the awesomeness of God’s creation as you watch the video, but I digress.
While we neither believe nor promote such mythological ideas, there is a phenomenon in the religious world that seems to be of a shapeshifting mentality. I will argue that there truly is a biblical principle of spiritual shapeshifting but the responsibility to transform is usually aimed the wrong direction by religious thinkers.
The vast majority of religious thinkers believe the Bible to be a good book, but they also believe it is at least somewhat outdated and therefore needs to be amended and updated to keep up with the times. These believe as long as a person is sincere in his/her desire to be a good person, it matters little if they adhere to the specifics of biblical teachings. It is interesting that these same individuals take a much more hardline approach when the biblical principles violated cause harm to them or their loved ones, but who is keeping score?
The sad part of this is these individuals do not realize they are not asking some inanimate book to transform itself, but they are actually demanding God transform His essential character to fit their preferences. I say this because in the pages of the Bible we have “the mind of Christ” revealed to us (1 Cor. 2:6-16). Jesus came to make the Father known to humanity (Jn. 1:18), and He did so by giving the words of the Father to the apostles and prophets (Jn. 17:6-8; Eph. 3:5). To argue that the Bible must change to suit the world’s fancies is to argue that God must change to suit our purposes.
This attitude simply will not do. The apostle Paul told the Roman brethren “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). This passage argues strongly for the “shapeshifting” of our spiritual lives to fit the mold of the will of God rather than having the will of God fit the mold of the world. Some will argue the book is outdated, but Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Mt. 24:35). Peter concurred with the Christ when he wrote, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible (perishable-TH) seed but incorruptible (imperishable-TH), through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet. 1:22-23). With this in mind, let the shapeshifting of our souls begin.
While we neither believe nor promote such mythological ideas, there is a phenomenon in the religious world that seems to be of a shapeshifting mentality. I will argue that there truly is a biblical principle of spiritual shapeshifting but the responsibility to transform is usually aimed the wrong direction by religious thinkers.
The vast majority of religious thinkers believe the Bible to be a good book, but they also believe it is at least somewhat outdated and therefore needs to be amended and updated to keep up with the times. These believe as long as a person is sincere in his/her desire to be a good person, it matters little if they adhere to the specifics of biblical teachings. It is interesting that these same individuals take a much more hardline approach when the biblical principles violated cause harm to them or their loved ones, but who is keeping score?
The sad part of this is these individuals do not realize they are not asking some inanimate book to transform itself, but they are actually demanding God transform His essential character to fit their preferences. I say this because in the pages of the Bible we have “the mind of Christ” revealed to us (1 Cor. 2:6-16). Jesus came to make the Father known to humanity (Jn. 1:18), and He did so by giving the words of the Father to the apostles and prophets (Jn. 17:6-8; Eph. 3:5). To argue that the Bible must change to suit the world’s fancies is to argue that God must change to suit our purposes.
This attitude simply will not do. The apostle Paul told the Roman brethren “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). This passage argues strongly for the “shapeshifting” of our spiritual lives to fit the mold of the will of God rather than having the will of God fit the mold of the world. Some will argue the book is outdated, but Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Mt. 24:35). Peter concurred with the Christ when he wrote, “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible (perishable-TH) seed but incorruptible (imperishable-TH), through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet. 1:22-23). With this in mind, let the shapeshifting of our souls begin.