God is Unchanging

GOD IS IMMUTABLE NOTES

Immutable = changeless

God does not change; he is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The doctrine of God's immutability has historically been a great comfort to believers, for it means that we can rely on God's consistency and faithfulness.

Ps. 102.25-27 says that God will remain the same even after all things change.

Mal. 3.6 in which God says, “I the LORD do not change.”

Jam. 1.17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Eph. 1.11:  God's purpose doesn't change. 

Ps. 103.17:  God's mercy is never-ending, i.e. changeless. 

Prov. 19.21 and Ps. 33.11: His counsel “stands forever”. 

Is. 14.24: God says, “I have planned it, so it will stand.” 

1 Cor. 1.20: the promises of God do not change.

God does not change in His:

1.                  Being

2.                  Character

3.                  Purposes

4.                  Mercy

5.                  Counsel

6.                  Promises

God doesn't change in who He is, and what He determines to do.

There are still passages that seem to say that God does change.  

 Ex. 32.10-14 God wants to destroy Israel, yet Moses asks God for mercy and God is said to relent and not bring the disaster he had threatened.

 Similar passages that say God repented or changed from a decision such as this are Jud. 2.18; Jer. 26.19; and Jon. 3. 10. 

Probably most peculiar of all is 1 Sam. 15.10-11 contrasted with 28-29.  How can it be written in the very same chapter that God repented of choosing Saul, and then say that God does not change His mind?

Anthropomorphism = human attributes are applied to God, so that we might have a baseline of understanding when thinking of Him.

While inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bible is written by humans, to humans, and therefore we should expect it to speak from a primarily human perspective.  

This can be the case for when we read of God “repenting” or “changing His mind”, because, from our perspective it's as if God ceased from being angry and become appeased.

In Rom. 1.18 we read that he wrath of God falls upon the godless and wicked.  In 1 Jo. 1.9 we also read that if we repent of our sins, God will forgive us and cleanse us from unrighteousness.  We know that this is always the case, because God doesn't change in relation to His character.

God has decreed that He will judge the unrighteous and love the righteous.

We read in Scripture that the fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.  In the case of Moses, we have his prayer covering the sins of his people, but it is not bringing about a change in God, rather it is bringing the people from the side of God's wrath over to the side of His forgiveness and love.  The same can be said of King Saul in 1 Samuel.  His actions brought him under God's wrath and judgment, therefore Samuel was not wrong or hypocritical in saying that God does not change, for His character remained consistent, as Saul went from following the Lord to turning away.

Is This Really a Comfort?

For many people, the idea that God doesn't change is anything but comforting.  They argue that a God that doesn't change can't be related to.  That He couldn't possibly care about us, and what's more there's no point in even praying to Him because you can't change His mind!

1.                  God does care for us, and that does not change.  He cared enough to send His Son to die on our behalf, and this decision took place before creation even began.

2.                   Prayer is not meant to change God's mind.

A.        Think of the Lord's prayer in Matt. 6:  “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  At no point does Jesus tell us to pray my will be done.

B.         Prayer is like being in a small boat near shore, and grasping the bank with a boat  hook to pull you there.  When you do this, you're not pulling the shore to you, but   pulling yourself closer to the shore.  In the same way, prayer is not bringing God to you and your will, but causing you to be brought in line with His will and closer to Him.

What about the Incarnation?  Doesn't the fact that God became man constitute a change?

1.                  We've already seen that Scripture clearly teaches that God doesn't change in His being, nature or character.

2.                  The nature of the incarnation is a mystery in many ways, because we cannot fully understand how it takes place. 

3.                  Where Scripture is clear, we must give way to it, even if there exists one aspect that we don't fully understand.

Phil. 2. 5-8:  He [Jesus] “emptied” himself and took upon the form of a servant or human being.

Jesus Christ had a human nature and a divine nature.  100% God and 100% man.

The divine nature of the Son of God never changed.  He possessed all the attributes, unchanged that God possesses.

How Then Should We Live?

God is and always will be our refuge.  He will always receive us as believers and seek His will in our lives.

It can bring us caution as well, when we consider the context of a passage like 2 Tim. 2.13.  It's one of those passages we like to use for encouragement, but in reality Paul is saying that if we disown God He disowns us, and when we are faithless, He is faithful, in the sense that He will judge.

It is because of God's immutability that we can know that our salvation is secure.

The promise is that those who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and this is a promise made by God.  In the same way that we saw God's faithfulness to Israel in Jeremiah because His promises do not change, so too does His promise stand for us.  It doesn't rely on our works, because the promise isn't based on performance but on the unchanging character of God.  And that is something everyone of us needs to be very thankful for.