God's Immutability, part 1

Time can laugh at us if we try to withstand it by our own strength. If we believe that we can create something that will outlast time and immortalize our memory, then we truly are ‘time’s fools.’ But, if we commit ourselves to the Creator of time, then we become conquerors and authorities. We gain the assurance of eternal life and of ultimate victory. Only because of the existence of an immutable God can we have this assurance. To explain the doctrine of the immutability of God, there are three questions I must answer. What is the meaning of the immutability of God? How do we reconcile the immutability of God with Scriptures that say he changes his mind? Why is the unchanging nature of God critical to who he is?

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD?

The definition of God’s immutability comes from Dr. Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology: ‘God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to certain situations.’

God is unchanging in his being and perfections. This means that the nature of God never changes. His personality remains the same throughout eternity. Unlike men, whose character is formed and changed in large part by their surroundings, God’s character is always certain. His perfection, goodness, justice, holiness, immanence, transcendence, etc., are not and never will be subject to change. Bible passages that support this idea include Malachi 3:6 (‘I the Lord do not change.’), Hebrews 13:8 (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’) and Psalm 102:27 (‘But you remain the same and your years will never end.’)

God is unchanging in his purposes and promises. If God’s nature and attributes never change, it follows that his purposes and promises must be immutable as well. If God chooses or promises to do something, it must be the best possible thing to do because he is perfect and therefore incapable of making a flawed decision. If one of his purposes or promises changed, it would mean one of two things. Either God realized that it was a bad purpose/promise, which is impossible, given his perfection, or God’s nature changed, causing him to change his mind, which is also an impossible situation. Thus, a being whose nature and attributes are unchangeable is also unchangeable in his purposes and promises. The Bible declares the immutability of God’s purposes and promises as well as his being and perfections. Psalm 33:11 ‘The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.’ Also, Isaiah 46:9-11 says ‘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 does act and feel emotions, and he acts and feels differently in response to certain situations. God’s immutability does not mean that he is unable to feel emotions and respond differently to different situations. He is a fully personal being, despite being unchangeable. The Bible clearly speaks of God experiencing emotions. Romans 1:18 says ‘The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven…’ while Psalm 11:7 says that ‘the Lord loves justice.

God’s immutability is not a simple doctrine. There are several Scripture passages that appear to contradict the ones I quoted in this post. The idea of an immutable being is difficult to grasp, and it’s even more difficult to explain how an unchangeable being communicates with his changeable creation. My next post will address some of the Scriptural ‘objections’ to the doctrine of God’s immutability.