The World is Changing—Should We?

The answer is yes and no. We can and should change in some ways, but we must not change in others. The story of one man in the Bible teaches us how to know the difference.

Daniel was a young man living in the security of his home when the Babylonians attacked Judah and took him and others captive. His life changed almost overnight. His world turned upside down and suddenly he found himself in an strange land. Everything was different—the buildings, the language, the clothes, the customs, the food, the government and especially the religion and morals. He had to adjust in some ways, but he could not compromise in others.

The Chaldeans had brought him there for a purpose: to train him to be a government official. They taught him “the language and literature of the Chaldeans” (Dan. 1:4). Daniel consented. He did not say, “I am a Jew and I refuse to study about your country.” Daniel was a wise man, not a rebel. He knew he had to make the best of a bad situation, even if it meant doing things differently than the way he was raised.

But their were limits as to how far Daniel would go to accommodate this new world. The king himself ordered that Daniel and the other Hebrew young men in training be given the same food that he ate. To most people that would have been an honor. And there were some Chaldean foods Daniel could eat. However, the law of Moses prohibited eating certain foods, and risking his life, Daniel drew the line there. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Dan. 1:8). The law of man said to eat this food and drink this wine, but the law of God said to avoid them (Deut. 14; Prov. 23:31).

Daniel was a missionary in a foreign field. He knew the distinction between culture and Scripture. Today, our world is changing rapidly. We cannot foresee how much more it will change. We are gradually seeing the same changes Daniel experienced—different races, different languages, different cultures and customs, different family values and religions we have never studied. We can and should adjust in matters that are not right or wrong in themselves. That is what Paul meant when he said he became “all things to all men” so that he might save some (I Cor. 9:19-22). But in matters of Bible teaching, we must not change. Like Daniel, we must not compromise. This means we must study our Bibles to know the difference.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • May 24, 2026