Change Established on the Gospel

Naomi Middleton

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“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. — Hebrews 13:8

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Merriam-Webster defines change as “to make different in some particular way” or “to replace with another.”

Change is inevitable. Sometimes we choose it. Sometimes it happens to us. Sometimes it brings excitement and growth; other times it brings uncertainty, frustration, or loss.

My husband and I have been in full-time ministry for over twelve years. During that time, we have seen change happen in countless forms—and we have watched people respond in countless ways. But one thing seems to be true almost every time something changes: change affects people differently.

Most of us don't mind change in small doses. We try a new restaurant, buy a new outfit, rearrange a room, or take a different route to work without thinking much about it. But when change touches something bigger—a job, a relationship, a church, our family, our health, or something we've invested years into—it suddenly feels very different. Why?

I think the gospel gives us a framework for understanding both why change can be so difficult and how we can walk through it faithfully.

Do Good Things Change? (Creation)

We were created by an unchanging God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” So I've often wondered: In a perfect world, was there change?

I think the answer is yes—but not necessarily change as we often experience it today. From the very beginning, creation included change. Day became night. Seeds grew into plants. Humanity was given the responsibility to cultivate and develop what God had made. Change was not introduced by the Fall. Change was part of God's good design.

But there was an important difference. Before the Fall, change did not carry the threat that something good might become broken. There could be growth without decay, development without deterioration, and movement without loss. In other words, good things could change without becoming bad things. So change itself is not the enemy.

The Biohazards of Change (Fall)

The Fall changed our experience of change. Genesis 3 introduced a kind of change humanity had never experienced before. What was good became broken. Relationships fractured. Work became difficult. Bodies began to decay. Loss and death entered the story.

Now change can mean growth, but it can also mean loss. Something we love can disappear. Something that worked can stop working. Something healthy can become unhealthy. Because of the Fall, change is often harder than it was meant to be. And when when change happens, there are some common “biohazards” we need to recognize:

When change happens too fast, it can create anxiety.
When the right people aren't included, it can create frustration.
When too much changes at once, it can create apathy.
When the “why” isn't clear, it can create resistance.
When we fail to acknowledge what is being lost, it can create grief.

These reactions don't necessarily mean the change is wrong. They remind us that we live in a broken world. Change is messy. It can bring growth and loss at the same time. Even good and necessary change can be difficult because of the effects of the fall.

The Beauty of Change (Redemption)

Because of the gospel, change no longer just carries the threat of making good things bad; it introduces the hope that bad things can become good again.

The gospel doesn't call us to avoid change. The gospel calls us to transformation. Redemption requires change. In Christ, we move from death to life, from slavery to freedom, and from darkness to light. And that transformation doesn't end at salvation. The Holy Spirit continues changing us, forming us more and more into the image of Christ. The Christian story also points toward an even greater change still to come: Jesus is making all things new.

The brokenness that makes change painful will not last forever. God is moving history toward restoration—a world where what has been broken by sin is finally made right. So Christians don't need to fear change, nor do we need to pursue change simply for the sake of change. Instead, we can ask: Is this change moving us toward greater faithfulness, health, and fruitfulness?

So how does the gospel teach us to respond to change? Not with fear, because our security is in a God who does not change. Not with resistance simply because something is different, because we know God uses change to transform us. And not with blind acceptance, because not every change is good.

Instead, the gospel gives us the freedom to hold change with open hands—to grieve what is lost, embrace what is good, wisely discern what needs to change, and trust God with what comes next. We can face change because our hope is not established in things staying the same. Our hope is established in the God who never changes and who is making all things new.