The Immutability of God
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, made famous the saying, “The only constant in life is change.” Just observe the world and you will be able to see this truth. Change is a constant reality in the natural world. For example, our bodies experience change every day. Liver cells are replaced in your body every three-hundred to five-hundred days. Your finger nails (0.1mm growth per day) and the head on your head (.35 mm growth per day) are constantly changing. Even your skin cells are replaced every thirty-nine days. (1) We are an ever changing people. However, it is not just your body that experiences change but your mood, interests, and desires. So, is Heraclitus, correct? Is the only constant in life change? No, there is a much more and sure constancy. One of God’s attributes, which is foundational to His nature, is His immutability. This means that God does not change. This doctrine is much more important than you might think. How is it that God does not change?
1. God’s person is unchanging
God told Malachi, “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” That is God’s own testimony about himself. (Mal 3:6). Because God is immutable this promise to Israel was never going to be broken. It is so important to believe this truth, for if this were not true, then we would have a God who would evolve or improve over time. If God were able to evolve or improve then he would no longer be God. Because God is immutable we know that there will never be a new and improved version. Some people falsely come to this conclusion when they compare the Old Testament to the New Testament. Some believe that Jesus is a new and improved version of God because he appears to be more loving than how God is portrayed in the Old Testament. However, nothing could be further from the truth. God is not more loving in the New Testament than he was in the Old Testament. Neither is he more wrathful in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
James also shows us the doctrine of immutability when he says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) A shadow changes with the direction of the light source and the movement of the object. As the light changes so does the shadow of the object it reflects upon. However, God is the “Father of lights” and since God does not change (He is the the light) there are no variations. The Psalmist speak of the eternal unchanging nature of God. He wrote, “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
2. God’s attributes are unchanging
Immutability teaches us that whatever we know about God will always be true. Why is this important? What implications are there for the Christian life? Could you imagine a God who varied in His love for you from day to day? We would be cast into hell in a moments notice! However, we know from 1 Chronicles 16:34 that his love endures forever. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” We know that God’s love for us is not dependent upon our performance; it is based on his unchanging love and goodness.
How about a God who wasn’t as holy as He was yesterday? We would have no reason or standard in which to be saved! What would be considered right or wrong? However, we know that God is forever holy! (Psalm 145:21). Without a Holy God there would be an imperfect law in which we could not fully know Him. God’s law is a reflection of his nature and therefore his holiness. If His holiness changed or He violated His own law, how then could he be God?
Or how silly would it be to believe in a God who was less true tomorrow than He was today? Then we could not believe a single word that God has ever said! Once you begin to ask these questions you can see the ramifications of this important doctrine. God’s love doesn’t change. God’s holiness will never change. God’s truth will never change. Moses said, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19) God’s word will not change. Whatever God has spoken you can count on as being reliable!
Also consider with me for a moment that if God were not immutable the universe would fall apart and cease to exist. The universe is only still existing because He holds it together by the word of his power. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3) And also, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) If God, but only for a millisecond, would change, everything would fall apart. The deeper we go on this truth we begin to see why this is a fundamental Christian doctrine.
3. God’s will does not change
God does what He wants and He knows what he has always willed to do. God doesn’t ever “play it by ear.” All of God’s ways have been established from eternity past. God told the prophet Isaiah, “…remember the former things of old; 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.” (Isaiah 46:9–10)
You might be wondering about the passages that say that God “repented” or “changed” his mind. We don’t have the time to explore that in this article, but for now I’ll redirect you to this explanation by John Piper.
The doctrine of immutability brings so much comfort in life. We know that our Sovereign God knows about tomorrow before we do. We know that what He has decreed will come to pass and there will be nothing to stop it. Before God created the world he had purposed to send Jesus to redeem a people for Himself. The serpent wasn’t going to stop this from happening. Mankind wasn’t going to stop this from happening. God is God and his will and purpose stands and God ensures that it comes to pass. This is only true because God is immutable. If God were not immutable, than He would change His mind as much as we do, and therefore we’d all be hopeless."The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations" (Ps. 33:10-11)
This doctrine gives much hope and comfort for the Christian life. We need an unchanging God in a world that is rapidly changing. Therefore, we can conclude that Heraclitus was wrong. The only thing that is constant is not change; it is God.
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-it-takes-the-body-to-grow-hair-nails-cells-2018-4
