²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. (Romans 1:22–23)

Nothing bodes worse for anyone than to exchange that which is infinitely better for that which is finitely worse. Always pulled to idolatry, the fallen human heart craves earthly, limited wisdom. While libraries on many campuses may anonymously quote Jesus’ words, “The truth shall set you free” (John 8:32, out of context I might add), secularism has blinded that noble quest, turning attention to that which is reduced to and by human reason. Indeed, the apostle Paul wrote 2,000 years ago as modern a criticism as could be laid today: “Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Higher education, when not preparing people to make money, finds superficial meaning in the pursuit of truth while denying the goal of that pursuit, objective reality. Truth has become super-personal, whatever one fashions it to be for oneself—it’s all relative.

Today’s idolatry is the fluidity of self-discovery and self-identity. These are the graven images that replace the religious statuary of past generations and time periods. The results are the same: absolute foolishness. Because the cause is the same. And the exchange is extremely costly. Many satisfy themselves with that which is temporal, shifting, faddish and foolishly dangerous as a basis for life.

In its most essential form, sin can be described as moving away from the immortal God and taking up with and resting one’s life on the shifting sand of anything substituted in God’s place. It is one thing to blind oneself to the truth by denying God, but it is another to think oneself wise for doing so, totally unaware that one is thereby rendered a complete fool. Imagine a person with a pompous sense of pride and sophistication looking at the moon and proclaiming it with great self-assurance to be the sun!

God, on the other hand, is immortal (NIV, ESV), or as the NASB translates it, incorruptible. The word can also be translated imperishable (see 1 Cor 9:25 NASB). He is truth defined, forever, never changing, never fading, never going out of style, so to speak. Statues made from wood or metals or anything else will eventually rot or rust. If our culture thinks of belief in an immortal God as unfashionable and unsophisticated, then it is the world culture that is out of step with God. Philosophies change, religious thought and theories come and go. But believers echo the refrain: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).

Lord, I trust You as my immortal foundation, for You are unchanged forever.