God is Immutable. Immutability means that He does not change. He is unchangeable, unlike the gods fashioned by human reasoning.
A mutable creature will make a god in his own image that is like him. In Pakistan, for example, there is a famous song that contains lyrics saying “he has seen God change.” This song gives evidence to the fact that the subject does not believe in the God of the Bible but rather has faith in an idol of his own imagination.
Change is part of the human experience: all that we have known from our birth is change. We see seasons change, and our family and acquaintances change. We see people change for better or worse. This makes it harder for us to comprehend the God of the Bible, who is entirely unlike us in that He does not change. Even though Immutability can be seen from different standpoints, in this article, we will see Immutability in the following ways.
GOD’S IMMUTABILITY IN HIS BEING
As Christians, we must align our thinking with God’s revelation of Himself. God assures us in the Scriptures that “For I, Yahweh, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6). God is Immutable in every one of His attributes. Every person of the Trinity is Immutable, including God the Son. When you think about the Trinity, many believe that Jesus changed when He took on human flesh. However, the Scriptures testify that God is unchangeable in His character. We understand that God is omnipotent as well, so we can easily conclude that in His divine nature, He can remain Immutable even when taking on human flesh.
For these very reasons, when God says that He does not change, it is hard for us to wrap our minds around that reality. This attribute of God is incommunicable; He does not share or impart this attribute to His choicest creatures. This attribute distinguishes the Creator from the creature. This is what makes God so difficult for us to comprehend.
GOD'S IMMUTABLE WILL
God is perfectly Immutable, which by necessity means that even His plans are Immutable. For the plans and purposes of God to change, He must go through a change of mind, which is impossible for an Immutable being. Some will argue otherwise, saying that they see God changing His mind in the Bible, but since God is unchangeable, His plans are unchangeable like His being. Moreover, if the plans of God change, that would mean He has incomplete knowledge of the future and is not perfectly omniscient.
But His complete omniscience makes His plans perfect and unchangeable. There is nothing like a Plan B in this plan. Some might suggest that the Cross was Plan B because Plan A, which was the law, did not work out according to the purposes of God. This is not true. God had planned to send His Son into the world before the world was made (Rev. 13:8).
When God speaks of repenting after vowing to destroy Israel for the worship of the golden calf (Ex. 32:14), He is speaking in anthropomorphic terms to convey a point: that God will act differently toward people relative to what He was warning them about as a consequence of their actions. Does this mean that the actions of the Israelites caught God off guard? Did He not foresee this event? By no means. He knew that this would happen, and He is speaking in these human terms to show that since He is changing the circumstances, He will be acting differently in these changed circumstances. All of this was part of His plan: how the circumstances would be, how He would change them, and what the consequences of all these events would be.
Change is part of the human experience, and God speaks in these terms to help us understand the changes occurring. By changes, we do not mean any change in His character, but rather the change in His works toward these people.
IMMUTABILITY MAKES GOD DEPENDABLE
Immutability also makes God completely reliable, as we understand that He will not change His promises. Because His plans are Immutable, we can have faith that He will not change His mind. He is good and He is Immutable. If He were good but mutable, that would be very concerning for us because He could turn evil. But since He is good and Immutable, He will not change to evil.
God is unlike everyone else who might change and betray us. We might have been betrayed by many people on many levels, but our God is Immutably faithful. He is dependable and He will remain loyal, even if all of our relatives and friends might betray us. This will give us peace in the most difficult of circumstances when the mire of affliction might blur our vision. We will receive this peace and joy by putting our faith in God who never changes.
Even when He scourges us in discipline (Heb. 12:6-7), we will know that He loves us. We will know that He disciplines out of love, and we can rest assured that He will not stop loving us because He cannot change.
Let us refrain from fashioning a god after our own image. Let us instead take our God for His Word and firmly believe His testimony regarding Himself. Although the Immutability of God is hard to comprehend, at the same time this is a glorious truth. I have endeavored to explain some aspects of it, but I entreat you to search more diligently and to learn more about it. I pray for us all, that we may encounter this Immutability of God when we think about all of His attributes.
May we all behold His glory in this attribute. Our hope, faith, and love for God may increase as we see Him to be perfect in His character, promises, and dealings with us. May we all be in awe of His unchanging character to the sanctification of our souls.
A mutable creature will make a god in his own image that is like him. In Pakistan, for example, there is a famous song that contains lyrics saying “he has seen God change.” This song gives evidence to the fact that the subject does not believe in the God of the Bible but rather has faith in an idol of his own imagination.
Change is part of the human experience: all that we have known from our birth is change. We see seasons change, and our family and acquaintances change. We see people change for better or worse. This makes it harder for us to comprehend the God of the Bible, who is entirely unlike us in that He does not change. Even though Immutability can be seen from different standpoints, in this article, we will see Immutability in the following ways.
GOD’S IMMUTABILITY IN HIS BEING
As Christians, we must align our thinking with God’s revelation of Himself. God assures us in the Scriptures that “For I, Yahweh, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal. 3:6). God is Immutable in every one of His attributes. Every person of the Trinity is Immutable, including God the Son. When you think about the Trinity, many believe that Jesus changed when He took on human flesh. However, the Scriptures testify that God is unchangeable in His character. We understand that God is omnipotent as well, so we can easily conclude that in His divine nature, He can remain Immutable even when taking on human flesh.
For these very reasons, when God says that He does not change, it is hard for us to wrap our minds around that reality. This attribute of God is incommunicable; He does not share or impart this attribute to His choicest creatures. This attribute distinguishes the Creator from the creature. This is what makes God so difficult for us to comprehend.
GOD'S IMMUTABLE WILL
God is perfectly Immutable, which by necessity means that even His plans are Immutable. For the plans and purposes of God to change, He must go through a change of mind, which is impossible for an Immutable being. Some will argue otherwise, saying that they see God changing His mind in the Bible, but since God is unchangeable, His plans are unchangeable like His being. Moreover, if the plans of God change, that would mean He has incomplete knowledge of the future and is not perfectly omniscient.
But His complete omniscience makes His plans perfect and unchangeable. There is nothing like a Plan B in this plan. Some might suggest that the Cross was Plan B because Plan A, which was the law, did not work out according to the purposes of God. This is not true. God had planned to send His Son into the world before the world was made (Rev. 13:8).
When God speaks of repenting after vowing to destroy Israel for the worship of the golden calf (Ex. 32:14), He is speaking in anthropomorphic terms to convey a point: that God will act differently toward people relative to what He was warning them about as a consequence of their actions. Does this mean that the actions of the Israelites caught God off guard? Did He not foresee this event? By no means. He knew that this would happen, and He is speaking in these human terms to show that since He is changing the circumstances, He will be acting differently in these changed circumstances. All of this was part of His plan: how the circumstances would be, how He would change them, and what the consequences of all these events would be.
Change is part of the human experience, and God speaks in these terms to help us understand the changes occurring. By changes, we do not mean any change in His character, but rather the change in His works toward these people.
IMMUTABILITY MAKES GOD DEPENDABLE
Immutability also makes God completely reliable, as we understand that He will not change His promises. Because His plans are Immutable, we can have faith that He will not change His mind. He is good and He is Immutable. If He were good but mutable, that would be very concerning for us because He could turn evil. But since He is good and Immutable, He will not change to evil.
God is unlike everyone else who might change and betray us. We might have been betrayed by many people on many levels, but our God is Immutably faithful. He is dependable and He will remain loyal, even if all of our relatives and friends might betray us. This will give us peace in the most difficult of circumstances when the mire of affliction might blur our vision. We will receive this peace and joy by putting our faith in God who never changes.
Even when He scourges us in discipline (Heb. 12:6-7), we will know that He loves us. We will know that He disciplines out of love, and we can rest assured that He will not stop loving us because He cannot change.
Let us refrain from fashioning a god after our own image. Let us instead take our God for His Word and firmly believe His testimony regarding Himself. Although the Immutability of God is hard to comprehend, at the same time this is a glorious truth. I have endeavored to explain some aspects of it, but I entreat you to search more diligently and to learn more about it. I pray for us all, that we may encounter this Immutability of God when we think about all of His attributes.
May we all behold His glory in this attribute. Our hope, faith, and love for God may increase as we see Him to be perfect in His character, promises, and dealings with us. May we all be in awe of His unchanging character to the sanctification of our souls.
About The Author
JOEL RIAZ
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
1689 Federalism | Amillennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Joel Riaz lives in Abbottabad, Pakistan, with his wife, Irum. Having grown up in a Christian community, Riaz is well-acquainted with the Christian Faith and is the first person in his community to embrace Reformed Baptist Doctrine. He serves as an elder at Jesus The Holy Lamb, a Reformed Baptist Church.
Posted in Christian Living
Posted in Attributes of God, Knowledge, Understanding, Immutability, Unchanging, Character
Posted in Attributes of God, Knowledge, Understanding, Immutability, Unchanging, Character
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