The world is changing fast. Ideas that once seemed solid are crumbling. Morality is treated like soft clay, molded and reshaped to fit the mood of the moment. In such times, Christians can feel pressure to either blend in or stay silent. But Scripture doesn’t call believers to blend in. It calls us to stand firm. It calls us to build on the rock, not on sand (Matt. 7:24–27).
The church has always lived in changing times, even if today’s changes might feel more aggressive and chaotic than before. But our hope has never rested in the stability of society. It rests in the stability of God: “I the Lord do not change” (Mal. 3:6). The world may reinvent itself every decade, but God does not evolve, and His truth does not expire. It does not need updating. It does not need rebranding. Truth that shifts with the culture isn’t truth at all—it’s marketing.
Truth Is Not Negotiable
Christians today are often told that faith should adjust to the times. But Jesus prayed, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Truth is not up for public vote. It doesn’t become outdated just because some commentators call it unpopular. The Apostles didn’t rewrite their faith to get better reception from the Roman Empire. They preached Christ crucified whether the crowds cheered or scoffed.
We need to be constantly reminded that God is the author of faith from start to finish. We do not keep ourselves; God keeps us. Jesus said, “No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). That is not the language of fragility. That is the language of divine strength. Christians are not weak, fragile creatures clinging to God by our fingernails. We are held in the powerful arms of God. And because we are held, we can stand.
Obedience Is Not Optional
But standing firm doesn’t mean inactivity. Faith is not passive. The same God who preserves His people commands them to obey. Paul does not say, “Relax and let things happen.” He says, “Do not be conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). That is an active command. The world pushes us in its direction, but the obedient Christian resists.
Many believers today are tempted to soften the edges of Scripture in the name of love. But love without truth is flattery. And truth without love is arrogance. Scripture refuses to tear the two apart. We are to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). That combination is explosive. It makes Christianity look too gentle for tyrants and too uncompromising for cowards.
Do Not Panic: God Reigns
When the nations are raging and morality is spinning like a weathervane, Christians must refuse to panic. Anxiety is not a fruit of the Spirit. God has not surrendered His rule over history just because society decided to redefine itself. Scripture says He “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). All things. Not just spiritual things, not just church things, not just private things. History runs on rails that God laid down before the world began.
This perspective does not make suffering painless, but it makes suffering purposeful. There has never been a century in which the church survived by aligning with the spirit of the age. The church survives because Christ rules. He is not like a politician running for office. His kingdom does not depend on cultural approval. “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).
Stand with the Church, Not Alone
One of the devil’s oldest strategies is isolation. Lone Christians are easy targets. Scripture commands believers to gather, to encourage, and to stir one another up (Heb. 10:24–25). A true Christ-loving and Bible-preaching church, however small it may be, however unimpressive by worldly standards, is nevertheless a fortress in a hostile age.
The local church is where faith is fed, where truth is taught, and where weary saints are reminded that they are no fools for believing what God has said. Do not underestimate the power of corporate worship, prayer, and fellowship. You may not always feel it, but God uses ordinary means to forge extraordinary endurance.
A Long View of Victory
Modern culture trains people to think only about the present moment. But Christians are commanded to lift their eyes. We await a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We await a King who will not compromise. “We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
That future is not escapism; it is fuel for the fight. It gives us courage. It puts steel in our spine. If this world is all there is, then compromise makes sense. If this world is passing away, then compromise is foolish. The early Christians did not die for a metaphor. They died because they believed Christ would raise them. And He will.
The Call of the Hour
Our moment in history does not require a new gospel, a new strategy, or a new tone. It requires the old faith. And that faith should be believed, lived, and proclaimed without apology. Paul’s words still stand: “Be steadfast, immovable” (1 Cor. 15:58). The world shifts. Christ does not. Therefore, let us stand firm in shifting times.
Ligonier Ministries