“…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of things hard to understand, which. Untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3:15-16
Though we would never indulge nor endorse mythology and folklore, there is a biblical point illustrated by the fictional 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 some mystical, magical power. This makes for entertaining books, campfire stories, television and movies, but there is obviously no basis in reality for such things, except of course for 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 your mind will be blown by the awesomeness of God’s creation as you watch the video, but back to the point of this discussion.
While we neither believe nor promote such mythological ideas as those set forth above, there is a type of shapeshifting in the spiritual realm. Many religious thinkers believe the Bible to be a good book, but they also believe it 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?
Sadly, these individuals do not realize are attempting to make 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 Corinthians 2:6-16). Jesus came to make the Father known to humanity (John 1:18), and He did so by giving the words of the Father to the apostles and prophets (John 17:6-8; Ephesians 3:5). To argue that the Bible must change to suit the world’s fancies is to argue that God must change for those same ends.
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” (Romans 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” (Matthew 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 Peter 1:22-23). Truly we have some shapeshifting to do, but we must be sure we are bending our spirits to fit His word rather than trying to bend His word to fit our preferences.