Austin Bible Church
God is immutable and therefore never changes. Since He is and always has been perfect and absolute in all of His attributes, He cannot improve or be less than perfection. Therefore, if He changed, He would no longer be absolute and perfect. God has never changed from what He has always been with perfect consistency from eternity past on through to eternity future. Nothing that has ever happened or will happen causes any member of the triune God to change in any way. He is perfect and unchangeable is all of His attributes. God’s plan for humanity has never changed from eternity past where it always existed with God. Because God never changes, He is absolute stability. Psalms 102:27; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; James 1:17; Isaiah 40:28.
""But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end." (Psalms 102:27, NASB)
""For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." (Malachi 3:6, NASB)
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NASB)
"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17, NASB)
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable." (Isaiah 40:28, NASB)
God’s Immutability Results In Faithfulness
God’s immutability means that He is perfectly faithful in all things - no matter what we think, say, or do. He is faithful in His provision and protection to all members of the human race throughout their lives. He provides us all with His sustaining grace blessing of the form of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and He perpetuates our lives. All of God’s provision and protection perpetuates our lives so that we have time and opportunity to achieve, through positive volition, all that God has planned for our lives.
For believers, He provides additional blessing because of our consistent learning of and obedience to Bible doctrine. This learning and obedience to His Word through the filling of the Holy Spirit results in spiritual growth, an increased capacity for love, life, liberty, and an increased capacity to properly handle the blessings that He bestows.
The immutability of God's character means that God never lets others down. He is eternally and perfectly faithful. God’s perfect faithfulness is a product of His immutability. Psalms 36:5; Psalms 89:33; Psalms 119:90; Lam. 3:23.
"Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." (Psalms 36:5, NASB)
""But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness." (Psalms 89:33, NASB)
"Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands." (Psalms 119:90, NASB)
" They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:23, NASB)
God is faithful to keep each and every one of His promises. Num. 23:19; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Cor. 1:20; Titus 1:1-2; Heb. 10:23; Heb. 11:11.
""God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19, NASB)
""Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant." (1 Kings 8:56, NASB)
"For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." (2 Corinthians 1:20, NASB)
"Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago," (Titus 1:1-2, NASB)
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;" (Hebrews 10:23, NASB)
"By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11, NASB)
God is faithful to forgive our sins that we acknowledge or name to Him in prayer. God is also faithful to keep us secure in our salvation. 1 John 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:12-13.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NASB)
"If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself." (2 Timothy 2:12-13, NASB)
God is faithful in that He delivers us in times of pressure. He is faithful in our suffering. 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19.
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13, NASB)
"Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." (1 Peter 4:19, NASB)
He is faithful in that He will provide eternal blessings to us. God is also faithful in that He always stabilizes us as believers through His Word. 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3.
"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NASB)
"But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. " (2 Thessalonians 3:3, NASB)
Jesus Christ is also faithful. Heb. 3:1-2; Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:5; Rev. 19:11.
"Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house." (Hebrews 3:1-2, NASB)
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NASB)
"and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—" (Revelation 1:5, NASB)
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." (Revelation 19:11, NASB)
God’s Perfection Is Unchanging
God is perfect in every way. In order to stay that way, He cannot change from that pinnacle of absolute and undiluted perfection. This is immutability. Therefore, our perfect God cannot change. Psalms 102:26-27; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 1:12.
""Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end." (Psalms 102:26-27, NASB)
""For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." (Malachi 3:6, NASB)
"AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP; LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED. BUT YOU ARE THE SAME, AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END."" (Hebrews 1:12, NASB)
He cannot ever become better that He is or less perfect than He is. He has always been perfect since before time began and will remain so for the eternal future. God is not capable of changing nor is He susceptible to change.
The immutability of God is consistent with His freedom and ceaseless activity. God is free to do anything He wills consistent with His perfect attributes and character. He is also able to do anything He wills, but it must always be consistent with His perfect attributes and character. This means that God’s provision of our eternal salvation based on our non-meritorious faith belief in the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross is the centerpiece of His eternal purpose. God the Father planned it, Jesus Christ executed it, and the Holy Spirit reveals it.
God’s Word and Works Never Change
God’s Word and works never change because they were perfect in eternity past and will remain perfect for the eternal future. Matt. 24:35; Psalms 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Eccl. 3:14.
" "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. " (Matthew 24:35, NASB)
" Lamedh. Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalms 119:89, NASB)
"The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8, NASB)
"I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him." (Ecclesiastes 3:14, NASB)
God’s works are manifest in everything around us. Because He never changes, we can count on God’s promises. Heb. 6:17-20.
"In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:17-20, NASB)
The Word of God or the Bible is perfectly consistent in the original languages that were inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by human authors prior to 70 AD. The Bible reflects God’s thinking for mankind. Scripture also presents to the human race God’s perfect and unchanging plan and purpose for each of us. 1 Cor. 2:16.
"For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16, NASB)
God’s immutability means that He always makes use of His infinite power consistently with His perfect attributes and essence. His perfect plan has never changed from eternity past to now. God does not change His plan or His mind. Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Psalms 33:11.
""God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19, NASB)
""Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind."" (1 Samuel 15:29, NASB)
"The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation." (Psalms 33:11, NASB)
We see it merely unfolding around us as time passes. Nothing God does is every arbitrary. None of His policies toward us are ever arbitrary. Nothing of God or what He does is ever based on or affected by our human responses. Everything He does is totally compatible with His plan and purpose. Therefore, God's unchanging character and Word provide the basis for our so unique spiritual life.
Erroneous Biblical Interpretation of Anthropopathisms
Although God never changes, the Scripture sometimes appears to say that God changes, becomes angry, and generally takes on human failings and attributes. These are anthropopathisms. The dictionary defines an anthropopathism as the attribution of human feelings to things not human, such as inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena. In the Word of God, anthropopathisms are used to ascribe to God human characteristics which He does not actually possess in order to explain His divine policy in terms of our limited frame of reference. Therefore, this is language of accommodation. It does not really describe who and what God is.
Some Bible verses such as 1 Samuel 15:35, Genesis 6:6, Jeremiah 26:3, Psalms 44:23, and Exodus 32:14 seem to be counter to God’s immutability principle, but these are anthropopathisms. The Bible is the inerrant inspired word of God. The purpose of Scripture is to communicate God’s plan and purpose to the human race.
"Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel." (1 Samuel 15:35, NASB)
"The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Genesis 6:6, NASB)
"'Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.'" (Jeremiah 26:3, NASB)
"Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever." (Psalms 44:23, NASB)
"So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people." (Exodus 32:14, NASB)
When we change, which we always do, God may seem to change in our view in certain passages of Scripture. This is because our frame of reference has changed in some way. This changing frame of reference occurs many times in the world around us. For example, if you are sitting in a train traveling quickly down the tracks, you might observe someone next to the train standing still. You appear to be moving to them, but they also appears to be moving in the opposite direction because you are sitting still inside the train. It’s all a matter of perspective. The reality is that God is not changing and remains perfectly consistent with His own unchanging character. Also, He will handle different things in our lives in different ways, but always consistent with His perfectly immutable character.
The problem with anthropopathisms that represent God in the Bible is that they are misunderstood. They really represent the His perfect attitude toward changes in man or history in human language so that we can understand God’s policy. God does not get angry or hate. These sinful emotions are human emotions. God has no emotions and is incapable of sinning or being tempted to sin. He is perfect.
Erroneous Biblical Interpretation of Anthropomorphisms
Another problem is that anthropomorphic representations of God in the Bible are very often misunderstood. The dictionary defines anthropomorphisms as attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena. In the Word of God, anthropomorphisms are biblical figures of speech, which attribute human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to God which He does not possess. They actually represent God’s perfect attitude toward man’s variations or variations in history in human language, so that man can understand God’s policy. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do not actually possess hands as in Colossians 3:1 and Mark 16:19. God does not have eyes and ears as in Psalms 34:15-16 and Isaiah 1:15. God does not have wings as in Psalms 36:7.
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." (Colossians 3:1, NASB)
"So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God." (Mark 16:19, NASB)
"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth." (Psalms 34:15-16, NASB)
""So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood." (Isaiah 1:15, NASB)
"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings." (Psalms 36:7, NASB)
The Unfolding of God’s Perfect Plan
God’s perfect and unchanging plan is coming to fruition for each of us as we live our lives. The fact that we see it unfolding before our eyes does not mean that His plan is changing. It is simply happening as God planned it in eternity past in its perfect detail and outcome.
God knew all the knowable in eternity past. This is referred to as His omniscience. He also knew in eternity past all that could be known including every detail of life’s actions and consequences. He knew all that every human being would think, say, and do during their entire lives. He also knew what every human being could have thought, could have said, could have done, but did not. This principle also applies to all of God’s creatures. He knew every action, consequence and reaction of every created thing and object from eternity past as well. See category on the Plan of God.