Everything is in a state of flux or change. It is not difficult to see that the world has changed beyond our imagination since the spread of Coronavirus. You and I have changed, and our loved ones have also changed (some for the better some for the worse). We hear that things in outer space are changing due to the ongoing expansion of the universe. Things under the earth have been changing due to shifting plate tectonics. Climate scientists tell us that the climate is always changing (a hotly debated topic in the last few years). Is there anything or anyone that does not change or is incapable of change?
The only positive answer to that question is found in the nature of the God of the Bible. He says emphatically that He does not change (Mal 3:6); this attribute of God is called Immutability. Let’s explore this more.
Immutability
An Immutable thing or being is something that is unchangeable or incapable of change. Whenever we talk about “change,” it is, in most cases, with respect to time. All of the examples of change described above are in relation to time; it was one thing at one point of time, and it is different or something else after a certain period of time. However, the Bible reminds us that God created time and that He is not bound by time (Ps 90:2). Consequently, He does not experience any of the effects of time, and He does not change. God has been the same from eternity and will be the same for all eternity. His nature or being does not undergo any change, He does not grow or diminish, His attributes do not change, His Word never changes, and His plans are not altered. This is a great truth seen in the Bible and one that has immense implications for our lives.
What other Biblical support can we find?
- When the Lord revealed Himself through the burning bush, Moses asked God what His name was. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses that His name is “I AM WHO I AM.” God’s name was reflective of His nature; God revealed to Moses that ‘He is.’ God did not reveal Himself as someone ‘who was’ or as someone ‘who will be’. Rather, He emphasizes His unchangeability by telling Moses that He just is. There is no other state that can be ascribed to God; from eternity to eternity, He is…the same.
- In the book of Isaiah, God declares that He alone is God. Explaining His uniqueness, God says in Isaiah 46:9-11, “for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ ... I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” God proclaims that He alone has knowledge of what will take place in time. God knows this because He has established what will take place in time and He never alters His purposes; they will be established. There is also an affirmation of God’s omniscience in these verses. God has infinite knowledge and hence, there is no error in His purposes. And, since, He is also all-powerful (omnipotent), His purposes will never be frustrated. There is nothing that will take away from His knowledge or from His power. His plans will always remain, and His Word will never change. The Lord never changes, and His attributes do not change either.
- In the New Testament book of James, we read in chapter 1 verse 17 that there is no variation or shadow of change in God. In the same verse, James calls God the Father of lights; this is in reference to God as the creator of all the heavenly bodies. Using astronomical terms, James is contrasting the behavior of these heavenly bodies (the waxing and waning of the moon, the movement of the planets, etc.) to God’s unchangeable nature. There is no turning in the Lord; there is nothing in Him that is prone to change. He is the same from of old, the Ancient of Days.
- The author of Hebrews establishes early on in the book that Jesus, the Son, belongs to the Godhead, and is God (see discussion here). In Heb 13:8, the author tells the readers that Jesus, who is God, is the same yesterday, today and forever. God never forsook His people (Heb 13:5), and Jesus will never forsake us either. The same God who was the help of our forefathers will be our help today and forever. He has not changed and will not change.
The reader is encouraged to look at these other passages which convey the same teaching: Num 23:19, 1 Sam 15:29, Ps 33:11, Ps 90:2, Ps 93:2, Ps 102:25-27, Is 40:6-8, Is 48:12, Matt 24:35, John 10:35.
But Doesn’t the Bible say God Relented?
The Bible does include language describing God as “changing his mind” or “relenting” or “repenting” – see Gen 6:6-7, Ex 32:12, 14; 1 Sam 15:11, 2 Sam 24:16, Amos 7:3, 6; Jer. 18: 8, 10; Joel 2:13-14; Jonah 3:9-10. The way to make sense of these passages is to understand a) God’s accommodation to represent Himself to us in a way that we can perceive Him, and b) primary and secondary causes of events. These topics will be dealt in future articles. However, a significant point to note in the passages mentioned above is that they do not indicate that God changed His mind because He learned something new, which is, typically, the most common reason to alter plans. In His Omniscience, God is fully aware of all events in time and there is no change in His eternal plan. God does not have a Plan B – He doesn’t need it.
Implications of God’s Immutability
Immutability is not only a concept that we learn about God, but knowing it should enrich us, His children, and convict the unrepentant.
- God never changes. His immutability gives us strength and confidence because we can be certain that in this ever-fleeting world, our God is a rock and a solid foundation for our very existence. Can you take refuge in that? The psalmists surely did… they expressed their trust in God repeatedly (Ps 18:2-3, Ps 71:3). He will always be the same and not diminish; He will always be powerful, loving, just and merciful. He is not erratic, nor is He is inconsistent. He will always be our source of life (John 14:19). We can look to Him at any time, and we will always find our strength in Him (Ps 27:1).
- God’s immutability assures that His promises (i.e., His Word) will never change. A friend of mine once told me that the Bible should be re-interpreted since it was written in a different time from ours. There have been constant attacks on God’s Word ever since the garden of Eden. However, His Word stands forever and doesn’t change. Jesus said in John 10:35 that Scripture cannot be broken, and in Matt 24:35 that His Word will never pass away. We can trust in God’s unchanging Word and that He will accomplish everything He has said. This means that those who will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 2:21) and we have an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Pet 1:4).
- God’s immutability should draw the unrepentant sinner to God. Since God’s ways do not change, He will deal with sinners as He has promised. When king Saul disobeyed God in 1 Sam 15, God cursed Saul through the prophet Samuel. Saul negotiates with God through Samuel; but Samuel proclaims to Saul that God is not a man that He should change His mind (1 Sam 15:29). God’s words are fulfilled in 1 Sam 28:17 when the kingdom is torn from Saul’s hand and given to David because of Saul’s disobedience and, more importantly, because of God’s immutability and His unchanging nature. We read in John 3:18 that those who do not put their trust in Jesus are already judged. However, His mercies are new every morning and they never come to an end, and His steadfast love never ceases (Lam 3:22). Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him (Heb 7:25). Therefore, if you have not put your faith in Jesus (Rom 10:9), now is the time to do so.
Doesn’t Prayer Change God’s Mind?
It is important that we do not misunderstand God’s immutability; we should not make God out to be someone who is mechanically fulfilling His plans. This will lead us down the wrong road of apathy and fatalism.
God has complete knowledge of every event that will take place and also how He will accomplish those events. Prayer belongs to the “how” part of God’s eternal plan. Prayer does not “change” God’s mind or His plans, but it is one of the means through which He has chosen to act. It is for this reason the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), to make our needs known to the Lord (Phil 4: 6), and to ask so it may be given to us (James 4:2-3). Jesus Himself taught us how to pray and ask God for eternal and material blessings (Matt 6:9-13). Therefore, it is imperative for us to pray knowing that God will act based on our prayer. However, our prayers do not make God act against His will; rather, God uses them to accomplish His eternal decree. In fact, He has ordained that we pray so He can accomplish His plans.
Prayer is an important part of the Christian’s life, and more will be said about it in future articles.
Conclusion
It is important for us to know who God is and what His nature is. When we know this, we can worship God in truth (John 4:23) and we will not create a god our own imagination. Knowing God’s immutability will teach us to trust in Him like David did (Ps 18:2-3) and as Jesus did (Luke 22:42) even in the face of trouble.
I pray that we will worship our immutable God as He truly is and live in the assurance of His unchanging love and mercy and kindness, trusting in His unchanging Word.
